Holding On
by CloisLover94
Summary: Doomsday has arrived and the JLA have the battle of their lives which leads to the death of a hero. Lois grieves over her husband, but in a moment of loneliness&desperation, she does the unthinkable which shocks everyone- Detailed summary inside!
1. Chapter 1: Sparks

**Heyy guys heres the start of my fourth Clois story and I'm really excited about this one:)!**

**Summary: Lois and Clark are married and are expecting a baby [I don't know why but I tend to write all my stories with these two already married or with a kid it must be a bore but I promise it's definately a different predicament;)] Doomsday appears in Metropolis leading the justice league into a battle which ends with the loss of a hero. Lois grieves over her loss and she has everyone there for her and for the baby but all the support in the world can't fill in that loneliness that yearns for her husband and so in a moment of desperation and loneliness, she does something that no one expected her to do and she's in for the shock and the relief of her life, but what she does has its consequences.**

**Note:**

**- I don't own anything.**

**- Every chapter in this story is titled after a song which inspired me to think up of every chapter (Seriously, each song inspired the plot for each chapter) so I suggest you guys check out these songs or listen to them while reading the chapter :)**

**- This story starts off on a very light tone, but warning it gets angsty**

**- I am really excited about this story so I would LOVEEE to hear all your critiques, comments, and reviewss I love reading them all:D!**

**- Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Sparks- Coldplay**

Lois had been feeling very down on herself today as she walked into the Daily Planet, more like waddling as she realized in the shower that she couldn't see her feet past her ever growing belly. She sighed as she came in late as Clark was already sitting at his desk. She slowed down at the entrance as she saw he wasn't alone. Lois watched as Clark was sitting beside some other woman, younger looking, blonde, and wore a skirt that was so short she didn't even need to try to look up it. She raised her brow as she routinely rested her hand on her stomach as Clark was showing her something on his computer and said something that made her laugh. Lois took a deep breath and walked over to her desk. Once she was in sight, Clark noticed her immediately and grinned as she came to a halt before the two. The woman followed his gaze up to the very pregnant Lois. Clark straightened up, "Hey baby, you finally decided to show up."

Lois forced a smile as her eyes immediately went to the woman sitting next to him, holding out her hand, Lois spoke in a normal tone, "Hi, we haven't officially met I'm-"

"Lois Lane" the blonde cut in with a smile, she stood up and shook her hand, "The legendary intrepid reporter. Hi, I'm Andy."

Lois gave a small smirk as they continued to shake hands, Clark stood up, "Andy's an intern here at the Daily Planet, she just started today and Perry asked me to show her around and pretty much guide her on what to do..."

Lois furrowed her brows when Andy spoke up in a cheerful tone, "You can say Clark's become my mentor of all the how-to's of the Daily Planet." Her grin grew as she gripped Clark's shoulder, "Can't wait to see what else he has to offer."

Clark watched as Lois' eyes remained on Andy's hand gripping her husband's shoulder, she eyed Andy and nodded, "Well... I hope you enjoy your time here." She gave Andy an innocent shrug, "Don't get too comfortable." Andy furrowed her brows as she tilted her head confused, Lois grimaced at her, "That was a joke."

With that, Andy gave a laugh which Lois could clearly tell was fake, "Well I guess I'll go learn the filing system now. It was nice meeting you Lois." She turned to Clark and gave him a girly smile with a little wave, "Bye Clark." Clark waved bye as Andy walked away. Lois watched her as she moved her hips to the side, with her short skirt hiking up, and her long wavy blonde curls flying over her shoulders. Lois huffed in frustration as she sat herself down on her chair which made a creaking noise to which Lois scowled at. Meanwhile, Clark had been watching her the whole time, noticing her mood today.

"Is everything okay honey?"

"Mhm." Lois didn't make eye contact as she was sorting her papers. Clark waited, knowing Lois would definitely break the silence, "So... Andy is your intern?"

Clark nodded, holding back his amused smile, "Yea, Perry assigned her to me."

Lois raised her brows, pressing her lips together, "She seems nice... so you're going to be working with her from now on." It wasn't a question as much as it was a statement. Lois continued to rearrange the articles on her desk.

"Only in the office. You know you're my only partner in crime on the field."

Lois bit the inside of her lip, "She knows me as Lois Lane the reporter. Does she also know I'm Lois Lane-KENT? You're wife and the woman who's carrying your child?"

Clark chuckled, holding up his left hand in front of her, "I guess she figured it out by the way I was looking at you and the fact that I have my wedding ring on?"

Lois smirked, "That didn't stop her from hiking up her skirt in front of you."

Clark leaned back on his chair with an amused smile, "Are you jealous?"

Lois smacked her papers on her desk which surprised Clark, "Jealous? Why would I be jealous? Is it the fact that I feel like I look like a cow, the fact that I can't see my feet anymore? The fact that I was late for work because I spent 2 hours parading my closet, going through hundreds of outfits just to find one that makes me look a little sexier for you? No. Why would I be jealous that a hot young intern is so infatuated by you and can't take her hands or her gooey eyes off of you? No. The fact that she's going to be spending so much time with you? Her and her bimbo style? It probably takes her no effort to look that hot. Why would I be jealous when all I have to offer is wearing this stupid black dress which doesn't even look good anymore!" She suddenly broke down in tears after her rant. Covering her eyes with her fingers, Lois began to sob heavily as she scowled to herself, "Damn hormones!" Everyone who walked by her watched and whispered to one another about what was going on to which Lois noticed and yelled out, "Why don't you take a picture it'll last longer!" At that, everyone scurried as far away as they can.

Clark leapt off his seat and turned Lois' chair to face him as he kneeled in front of her. "Hey." Lois wouldn't look up at him as she continued to cry, Clark lifted her chin up as her eyes had gotten pink and her face was flushed, but god did she look beautiful when she cried. Clark gave her a warm smile, "I don't ever want you to think that baby. You're incredibly sexy Lois Lane, don't you ever forget that. I got really confused when you just described Andy cause I don't see any of that. You know why?"

Lois sniffled as she pouted her bottom lip, "Why?"

Clark wiped her tears away with his thumb, "Cause I only have eyes for one woman in this world. And that's you. That's my wife, and the mother of our unborn child. You think you look fat? I think you've never been more stunning than you are right now."

Lois grimaced as she rolled her eyes, "You're just saying that to make me feel better."

Clark chuckled shaking his head, "Never. You're gorgeous... and so hot." Lois laughed, as he smiled seductively at her. Lois thought he sounded ridiculous. How could he want her looking like this? Clark smiled up at her as she returned the smile. He leaned in and kissed her sweetly, wrapping his arms around her as she hugged him back tightly, feeling a warm sensation. When he pulled away he kissed her belly and then her forehead before going back to his desk.

Lois bit the inside of her cheek as she stared back at Clark, who was carried away with his work. She looked down and smiled at her stomach, feeling a little better about herself.


	2. The Big Big Bang

**Chapter 2: The Big Big Bang- Rock Mafia**

"If you want to become a good reporter, you're going to want to follow those rules I gave you." Clark said as he walked towards his office with Andy by his side, writing down notes in her small notepad.

She poked her pen on her book, smiling inwardly, "Right, Clark Kent's rules of reporting, I'll think of you when I remember them." She spoke kinking her eyebrow at him.

Clark cleared his throat, clearly feeling uncomfortable as he quickly spoke, "Actually they didn't come from me, you should be thinking of the main author of these rules, Lois. She's the one who taught me them to me on my first day of work." He smiled to himself, remembering that entire day like it was yesterday. He remembered how much she hated the flannel shirt he wore, and then she had went on about all of her rules of reporting. Once they approached his desk he took out the frame from his drawer and handed it to Andy, smiling, "The Daily Planet's very own star reporter came up with them."

Andy furrowed her brows as she read the rules, she then raised one brow, "Wow, you actually got this framed?"

Clark chuckled, "It's more of a sentimental value for me. It reminds me of the day we became partners." He smiled to himself as he took back his frame and put it back in his drawer. As he was turned around, he didn't see Andy roll her eyes at him. All he could talk about was Lois. No matter what, her name was always mentioned it made her want to go deaf from the earful she was getting. As Clark was turned around, her eyes went down to admire his backside. She bit her lip as she watched. Her eyes reverted back to his face once he turned around.

She smiled widely at him, giving him as seductive look as she moved inwardly to him, but enough to give him breathing room. She knew she couldn't move in on him... just yet, she spoke in a low tone, "You know Clark, I would love to hear more about the interesting stories you've covered over your years of working here. Maybe we should go for coffee and talk about that, maybe you can give me some tips from _your_ own experiences. Not the bi-lines you share with your colleague."

Clark furrowed his brows at her as he took a step back, "Most of my stories are with my wife. Those are the stories I enjoy covering the most. When I'm with _her_."

Andy pressed her lips together, "Don't you think it's unfair she gets most of the credit for your stories?"

Clark fought back a laugh, "If anything it's me who takes too much credit for her work." Andy nodded as she stared back at him, Clark sighed at her, "Look Andy, I don't mind that Lois and I share the bi-lines, she works hard and so do I. We enjoy being partners at work and in our personal lives. No one can replace that." He shrugged, "There's not much I can say about any interesting stories I've covered myself, but I can still give you tips from what I've learned."

Andy's eyes sparkled at him, as she flashed a grin, "That sounds good Clark. We can go to the Cafe across the street?"

"I think it's better if we just stay here. I'm going to be meeting Lois for lunch later." He didn't notice the change in her expression as she suddenly flashed a smile back on, she had a hint of hatred towards Lois Lane. She wanted Clark, but couldn't have him.

Andy tilted her head sideways and puffed out her chest, "That's fine by me, as long as we get our time together before I have to let you go." She raised her brow to which Clark just sighed as sat at his desk as Andy took a seat next to him, listening intently on what he was saying. Clark may be taken, but that didn't stop her from trying. Her flirtation techniques never went unnoticed anywhere else, why was Clark any different?

* * *

><p>An hour later, Lois had arrived at the office, as Clark had promised to take her out to lunch. She wore a cream color flowy top with black pants, the only ones that managed to show off her curves, what little she had of them. She had spent extra time, doing her hair and make-up as she felt like her belly was growing each day. Gripping her bag on her shoulder she came to an abrupt stop once she got out of the elevators as she spotted Clark, once again with Andy sitting beside him. She took a couple steps forward, watching from a distance as Clark was speaking intently. She knew how he looked when he was telling a story. She watched as Andy started laughing out loud and placed a hand on Clark's bicep. Clark laughed as well, but Lois couldn't brush off the nagging feeling she was getting at the pit of her stomach as she stared at Andy's hand which continued to rest on her husband's arm. Lois' lips parted as she stared back at the two, she felt a lump in her throat as she whispered to herself under her breath, "Why is he making her laugh so much?" She swallowed hard as tears welled up in her eyes. It was then when she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning to see Oliver standing behind her.<p>

Oliver became concerned when he saw Lois' face as she turned, tears filling her eyes, ready to burst; Oliver gripped her shoulder as he turned her around, "Hey legs? You okay?"

Lois gritted her teeth as she pushed Oliver's hand off of her and rushed to the ladies room. Oliver followed behind, not caring that it was the women's bathroom. He walked in to see three other women inside, with shocked looks on their faces. One red head spoke up, "Hey! This is the women's room Mr. Billionaire, have respect for some privacy."

Oliver rolled his eyes, "Relax ladies, my friend needs my help." The women grimaced as they walked out and Oliver locked the door as it was just him and Lois. He leaned against the stall she was in, hearing her sniffles. He gently knocked on the doors, "Come on Lo. Don't make me come in there. Tell me what's wrong?"

Lois abruptly opened the doors and walked past Oliver as she wiped her tears away with toilet paper. She leaned over and gripped the edge of the sink, looking down at the ground, or part of it and part of her stomach. She closed her eyes, "Clark doesn't want me anymore." She said in a low tone.

Oliver raised his brow and grimaced, "What? That's absurd Lois."

"Is it? Why? Look at me Ollie I look like a Walrus! I've never felt so bad about myself as much as I do right now. I spend hours trying to look good. I know it sounds ridiculous okay but I just feel so insecure! Clark's sitting out there with his bimbo intern making her laugh so much! I mean what story has Clark ever told that was just so funny? Let's face it, he finds her attractive. More attractive than me and I don't blame him. I mean I guess I understand. Who would want to be with fat Lois Lane? I have swollen feet, big hands, and my hormones don't make this any better! I mean I shouldn't be feeling this insecure but I am okay! I am!" She breathed harder as she finished her rant. She caressed her stomach as tears streamed down her face, "I wish I could feel good enough for him."

Oliver bit back a smile, he knew inside how ridiculous she sounded, but he couldn't help but feel empathetic towards her. He knew how much Clark loved her, every time he was at Watchtower; all he could talk about was Lois and the baby. Oliver took a step towards Lois and cupped her face, "Lois, you're pregnant. Of course you're gonna look fat." He grinned as Lois scowled at him, "You have no idea how much Clark loves you. This intern is just trying to get attention out of him, but you will always be the only one to have his full undivided attention. So go out there and show her whose man she's really dealing with."

Lois sighed as she shook her head, "I can't. Not when I feel this crappy about myself." She walked away from Oliver and looked back at the mirror to compose herself. She turned back to Oliver, "This is just my own hormonal problems I'm having Ollie. Clark doesn't need to deal with that, he has enough to deal with. Being Superman and all." Lois walked out of the bathroom as Oliver looked back at her. He felt so bad for her. Clark had no idea how bad she was feeling about herself. After what he had just witnessed, Oliver wasn't one to just let this go.

Once Oliver walked out of the bathroom, he walked right into Clark holding a cup of coffee as he stumbled back, "Geez Clark give a guy a warning before you body slam him!"

Clark raised his brow at him, and looked back at the women's room, "Oliver what were you even doing in there in the first place? Didn't you read the sign or..." His voice trailed off as he raised his eyebrow at his friend.

Oliver's brows shot up as he let out a nervous laugh, to which Clark shot him a very confused look, "It's not what you think I swear. I was just mopping up your wife off the floor."

Clark' eyes widened, "Lois? Is she alright?"

Oliver held his hand in front of Clark, "Yes don't worry she's fine... well not really but fine in the sense that she's not going into labour yet. But not fine in the sense that she's an insecure mess right now."

Clark furrowed his brows as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, "What do you mean?"

Oliver put his hands on his hips, "I mean that she feels like you don't want her anymore. She came in and saw you talking to that intern Andy and mumbled something about you making her laugh so much and burst into tears. I'm telling you man her hormones are getting the best of her she thinks you're attracted to the intern and you don't want her anymore."

Clark took a deep breath as he felt sad that Lois had been feeling this way, "I thought I solved that problem. I assured her that there was no one else I would rather be with? She seemed fine after that?"

Oliver laughed, "Well maybe she'd feel better if you didn't let the blonde vixen over there drool all over you." He winked at Clark who narrowed his eyes at him. His eyes went past Oliver as he spotted Lois walking into the basement office, sitting at her old desk. He noticed the depressed look she wore as her eyes were puffy. Clark sighed at the sight of his sad wife.

"Thanks Oliver." He patted Oliver on the arm and walked into the office. Not noticing anyone else.

His view of Lois was blocked as he came to an abrupt stop as Andy stood right in front of him with a huge smile on her face, "Hey Clark I wrote down a couple more notes on our research on the election you want to check them out and see if I should add anything else?"

Clark kept his eyes on Lois who had her head down and her lower lip trembled. He didn't even hear Andy speak as he put up a finger in front of her, "That sounds great Andy, you can go talk to Randall about that could you excuse me for a minute?" Clark rambled and walked quickly around Andy towards his wife as she was searching something on the computer with her hand resting on her belly. Andy stood there baffled at his lack of attention to her as she turned to see what he was fixated on as she ground her teeth and walked swiftly away. Once he arrived at her desk he grabbed her arms from behind and made her stand up. Lois turned around with a surprised look on her face as she stared back at Clark.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Smallville! I could've seriously had a heart attack!" She noticed Clark was watching her intently, boring his eyes into her. She cleared her throat, "You ready for lunch?"

Clark smirked as he gently tugged at her arm and guided her through the office, "Come with me."

"Where are we going?" Clark didn't say anything else as he led them to the copy room. Lois stood in the middle of the room as Clark's back was facing her while he locked the door behind them. He turned to face Lois as she continued to stand before him in silence. She gave him a shrug, "What gives Smallville? What are we doing here?"

The corner of Clark's mouth twitched up as he slowly walked towards her, looking her up and down, "Have I ever told you just how beautiful you are Lois Lane?" Lois tilted her head as she watched him walk towards her slowly, she stood there in silence. Clark continued, "You are the most beautiful women I've ever met. Honestly Mrs. Kent, words cannot describe how beautiful you are, and it pains me to hear that you don't see that." Once he had come close enough, Clark outlined the features of her face with his finger, he traced her hairline and ran his fingers through it, "You have soft hair that I can't resist touching whenever I'm around you. I love the smell of your hair on my face when we're asleep in bed." Lois slowly began to smile faintly at him as his face came closer to hers; she felt his fingers glide under her eyes. He spoke in a husky tone, "You have sparkling hazel eyes that I always lose myself in whenever I stare back at them. I literally feel warm inside when I stare back at your eyes. Every time." His finger brushed down her face and tapped her nose, he brought both his hands to cup her face as he brushed his nose against hers, "You have the most perfectly shaped nose." Lois chuckled at that, Clark continued, "I'm dead serious. It's so perfect, and I love it every time you crinkle your nose. You look so cute." He grinned as her smile widened. His plan was working. He brushed his thumb against her bottom lip, listening to Lois' heartbeat increase. She felt his hot breath on her face as he spoke quietly, "And you have the most luscious lips I have ever kissed. I never want to kiss any other lips other than this one right here." With that, he captured her lips in his; it began a sweet a gentle kiss, which turned passionate and steamy. Lois slightly parted her lips to which Clark took advantage of as he slipped his tongue in her mouth, sucking on her bottom lip. He gently parted his lips from her as she was gasping for air. He traced his lips against her face, up her jaw line towards her ear as he spoke in a raspy voice, "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met Lois. No one compares to your beauty and the spell you have on me. " He ran his fingers through her hair and gently tugged her head back to face him as he was a breath away from her lips, "You can balloon up or shrink down and I'll still think you're incredibly sexy."

Lois was trying to pace her breathing as Clark held her in his arms, she whispered, "Even if I shrink down to two inches?"

Clark chuckled as his breath tickled her cheek, "I'll carry you in my pocket."

Lois gave a husky laugh and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him as close to her as she can while Clark gently wrapped his arms around her waist, being careful not to hurt the baby. "I love you." She whispered in his ear.

Clark smiled inwardly, kissing her shoulder, "I love you too." When she pulled away, Clark took a step towards her looking at her seductively, he cupped her face and took her lips in his, she turned her head to the side which let him slip his tongue in her mouth as the other tried to dominate, Lois was gripping his upper arms as his hands were on either side of her face. Clark walked forward which made Lois walk back until she was stopped by a table. She felt Clark lift her up onto the table, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

She was breathing heavily as Clark bent his head down as he began kissing her neck while his fingers traced down the v-neck of her blouse. Lois gasped at his touch as she threw her head back giving Clark more room as he trailed down kisses towards her chest, kissing her cleavage. Lois sounded out of breath as she spoke, "Well Mr. Kent, are we going to do what I think we're going to do... in the copy room?"

She held her breath as Clark lifted his head back up and gripped her bottom as he pulled her roughly against him, he cupped her face and planted kisses on her face, "You thought right Mrs. Kent. We're doing this, because I want to show my wife just how much I want her. And I'll continue to show you every single day for the rest of our lives."

Lois chuckled as she began to unbutton his shirt and kissed along his jaw line, "No complaints here."

Clark smirked, "Good." Lois jumped lightly as he sped up while unzipping her pants, "Cause you have no choice." Lois raised her brow as Clark pushed her down on the table as he crawled on top of her as she chuckled lightly, and felt Clark inside of her, overwhelmed with the pleasure he was giving her.

* * *

><p>They were both turned away from each other while getting dressed. Lois had zipped up her pants and was now straightening out her dishevelled hair when she turned to see Clark was already fully dressed and was now working on his tie. She smiled as she walked over to him and did on his tie for him. His hands went down to her lower back. Lois continued focused on his tie as she felt his eyes on her. Once she was done she straightened out his collar, "There you go." She looked up and laughed under her breath at his hair as she ran her fingers through it, "You have bed hair Clark."<p>

Clark chuckled, "You want to fix that for me."

She began smiling from ear to ear as she continued to stroke his hair, shaking her head as she bit her lip, "Nah. I like it, you look sexy." Clark brought her closer to him and bent his head down as he placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips. She moaned against him as he pulled away too soon for her, "Thank you Clark. I really needed you today."

Clark rested his lips against her forehead as he placed his hands on her belly, "You know I'm not going anywhere. And you have nothing to worry about with Andy. She's got nothing on you."

"Mhm like what?" She gave him a challenging smile.

Clark sighed, "Well for starters you have a nicer _derière_."

Lois' mouth dropped as they both laughed at his modest comment, "I love you." They kissed once more as Clark took her hand and walked out of the copy room together. There were many reporters who stopped to stare back at them. It was clear from both of their appearances of what they were doing in there. Lois, feeling uncomfortable being the center of attention in the bullpen for the wrong reasons, leaned into Clark, "How about we go get that lunch now?"

Clark nodded rapidly, "Agreed." He put his hand on the small of her back, guiding her out as they couldn't wait to get away from the gossiping reporters. They had walked past Andy, who was gripping her coffee cup, with a look of shock mixed with fury. She scoffed and stomped the opposite direction.

* * *

><p>* That was just something to bring up some humour and show Lois' jealous side to which she normally never is but with her pregnancy hormones I decided to have a little fun with that;) Don't worry Andy's no threat to the Clois relationship and Clois clearly showed her where her place is in their lives... no where:P She was just a little addition to add to some of the light heartedness of the story before it gets angsty:) More to come soon, I'll probably update sometime next week since I'm still working on the storyy! Please comment and revieww!<p> 


	3. This Could Be

**Chapter 3: This Could Be- Daena Jay**

_**This could be our happy ending after all. This could the life that we've been waiting for. This could be the night that rights all wrongs. Cause we're right where we belong.**_

"And that's how daddy got mommy back... and how I got her to tell me she loved me. I got to tell you kiddo if you ever need pointers on how to find the perfect moment to get back together with a girlfriend, try the disco ball in the barn. Worked like a charm for me." Lois smirked at Clark who had his head laid on her lap as he talked to the baby, stroking her belly. She continued to read her book on expecting mothers while Clark continued to tell stories to their son. "Let's see what else..."

Lois placed her hand on Clark's chest as she continued to read, "Maybe you should give our kid a couple pointers on making sure he's fully clothed when he meets a girl." Her eyes were glued to the book as she shrugged, "You never know, you future wife could come crashing into a cornfield while you're in the nude." Clark rolled his eyes as Lois chuckled.

"Don't listen to her. No matter what she says, daddy wasn't naked when he met mommy."

Lois's mouth dropped, poking her head away from her book, "Are you getting amnesia again Smallville?"

Clark began to whisper, covering as much of her belly as possible with his hands, "I don't want our son to think the only way to get a girl would be to stand butt naked in a cornfield."

She tilted her head to one side as she looked down at him, "Oh Clarkie, surely you expect our son to be smarter than that." She smiled as she covered his hands with one of hers. Clark smiled up at her and kissed her hand.

"Anyways..." He continued telling his stories to her belly, "Son, I want you to know, that no matter where life takes you, through the good times and the bad, there will be times where you're going to feel like no one understands because of your abilities. I've been through the same thing. For the longest time in my life I felt... out of place in this world. Like I didn't belong. Sometimes I felt incredibly disconnected. Really ashamed of whom I was. Like I was born at the wrong time, in the wrong place, and I didn't belong. I don't ever want you to feel like you don't belong son. No matter what, you won't ever be alone. You've got the strongest woman I know as a mother and I know she'll go to the ends of the world to make sure you never feel alone, you've got your aunt Chloe and Uncle Ollie, your godparents, who will always look out for you. And then there's me. Who's been there and who you can always come to for guidance no matter what. I remember my dad, your Grandpa, was always there for me and made the hard times a little easier to bear. I just want you to know you will always have someone to talk to little man."

Lois continued to stroke his hair as he spoke, when their eyes met, she gave him a warm smile as her tears stung in her eyes, "Do you still feel that way sometimes? Alone, and out of place?"

Clark's smile grew as he shook his head against her, "Not since I met you." He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me Lo. I've never felt alone with you."

"I love you." She said in a soft whisper.

"I love you." He sat back up and cupped her face, bringing their foreheads close together as he gently pressed his lips against hers in a soft kiss.

"You're going to be an amazing dad Clark. I know it. And one day, when Chris is old enough to find his special someone, I hope he makes her feel the way you make me feel every day. Warm, safe, and loved. That's all I need baby."

"And the occasional maple donut?" He said raising his brow at her jokingly.

Lois rolled her eyes and laid her head against the couch, "What more can a girl ask for?"

Chuckling, Clark leaned his head against the crook of her neck as Lois snuggled against him, "You're going to be the best mother Lois. I don't think he can be loved by anyone more than you."

Lois smirked, "Damn straight" As soon as she said it she gasped, covering her mouth as Clark grinned up at her.

"Looks like I won the bet after all Mrs. Kent."

"Hey it's not that bad of a swear word! I've said worse this shouldn't even count!" She continued to pout as her bottom lip stuck out and Clark thought it was the most adorable thing ever. He leaned in, placing a peck on her lips.

"You get one freebee, just cause you have a way of getting out of it." Shooting her fists in the air out of victory, they continued to tell their son the history of Lois and Clark.

"Alright Smallville time to show our baby boy the ropes of good music. Whip out the Whitesnakes!" Clark shook his head at her as he went to get her iPod.


	4. Last Kiss

**Chapter 4: Last Kiss- Taylor Swift**

_**I never thought we'd have a last kiss. Never imagined we'd end like this. Your name forever the name on my lips. Just like our last kiss.**_

It had been a couple of days since Lois had seen Clark. Because of causing chaos at work, Lois was sent home by Perry for an "early maternity leave"... even though she wasn't due for another 3 months. Apparently she drove the entire office crazy and being home, doing nothing was driving _her_ crazy. She hated being indoors when all the action was just outside her window. Clark suggested it was safe to just rest for a healthy pregnancy and after 2 straight days of fighting over it, Lois finally gave in as Clark made a valid point how she always tended to get herself in danger every time she stepped out into the world. With Clark being away saving the world and keeping up his persona at the bullpen, she barely saw her husband in the past week. As she was looking out the window, she sighed to herself, while caressing her belly. She felt a kick from inside her body and sighed, "I know munchkin. I'm bored too."

Suddenly, she heard screaming from outside. She looked out her balcony as she watched people down the streets running towards the same direction. Furrowing her eyebrows, Lois wondered what they were running towards... or what they were running from. She looked where everyone was running from and noticed a huge smoke cloud, almost like smoke from a nuclear explosion. It was far away but visible enough for her to see. "What the hell?" She felt a nudging in her belly, "Sorry baby. I promise it'll be the last time." Suddenly she saw a red and blue blur flying all around the smoke cloud. Lois' eyes widened as she ran from her balcony and grabbed her jacket and keys and ran out the door into the city.

Her car was blocked by hundreds of civilians running and screaming, some were wounded with blood all over them. She kept honking at everyone as anxiety took over, "Come on! MOVE!" Hitting her steering wheel hard she gave up and got out of the car, and started running the opposite direction as everyone else.

One man grabbed her by the arms and Lois' winced as he pulled her back, "What the hell are you thinking lady! Get out of here you're gonna get killed!"

Lois roughly shoved the man away from her, "What's going on?"

His forehead was sweating as he ran his fingers roughly throug his hair, looking behind her at the chaos ensuring from afar. Lois could tell he was traumatized, "Th-This creature with horns all over with blood shot red eyes is terrorizing the city! Superman and everyone are all out there fighting it off!" The man shuddered at the image that was still stuck in his head, "It's a crazy beast" He said under his breath fearfully.

Lois' eyes widened as her heart sank, "Doomsday." She whispered under her breath. As she was about to take off running the man grabbed her and yanked her back again.

"Are you crazy! Did you not hear what I said! Get away from there!" She kept struggling with him as Lois finally had it and decked him in the nose, which left him gushing blood as he covered his face.

Lois huffed, "I'm really sorry about that, but my husband is out there and I'm not running away while he could be in danger!" With that, she sprinted towards the chaos, bumping into everyone, squeezing through them as she tried to make her way towards her husband, fighting against the crowd while they all stared back at her wide eyed in shock, but were too busy getting away to stop her.

It had taken her a while to get there and as soon as she got close, she saw Superman fighting against Doomsday, throwing punches while in the air, while Batman shot at it with a bazooka. As soon as he fired the shot, Lois knew she had to run for cover. She hid behind a pillar and squeezed her eyes shut as she heard the explosion, the ground shook beneath her and she held her breath to calm herself down, leaning her head against the pillar. She turned around the pillar to see what was going on. Lois gasped as she took in Clark's torn suit, and dirty, bloodied face. She just wanted to run after him and make sure he didn't get affected by the bomb. He was stumbling under the rubbles, but seemed like he was recovering quickly... which meant it didn't do much damage to Doomsday either. She looked around the area and saw Cyborg unconscious on the ground. She ran towards him, kneeling down. "Victor! Victor can you hear me?" No response and Lois started to panic, "No, no please. Stay with me! Victor!"

At the sound of her voice, Victor groaned and Lois sighed of relief that he was still alive. Oil was gushing out of his stomach through his suit and she took off her jacket to apply pressure on the wound. She didn't know how bad the damage was compared to a human, but human or machine, she knew Victor couldn't afford to lose any more oil. Suddenly she felt herself being lifted up and turned around roughly by big hands. There she stood facing Clark who looked out of breath, but still had strength. "Lois what are you doing here!" He gripped her arms, speaking in a stern tone.

Lois swallowed hard, knowing she was going to be in trouble, "I-I heard what happened I wanted to know if you were okay-"

"NO LOIS! YOU CAN'T BE HERE RIGHT NOW!" He growled in anger which scared Lois. She had never seen him like this. He was furious at her.

"I was worried Clark! You know I can't stay away!" She placed her hands on his chest.

"Lois leave! Get away from here as fast as you can. I have J'onn covering for me but he can't hold out for long alone. You have to leave Lois!"

"No Clark! Not when you're-"

"LOIS!" He gripped her tighter, "Leave. I can't do this. I can't fight him knowing you're here. Please I need you to be safe. You can't be here." He spoke in a final hard, stern tone.

Lois sighed in defeat as she looked behind him where Doomsday was now battling it with Oliver as he shot him with his arrows, but it did no damage as he was knocked off his feet. Lois' mouth dropped as her heartbeat raced and suddenly, Wonder Woman came from behind Doomsday and trapped him down with her lasso while he struggled to untangle himself from it. She looked back at Clark and placed a hand on his cheek, "Please be careful." Clark eyes softened for the first time and he nodded at her. She wasn't ready to let him go yet, and so she crushed her lips against his in a passionate kiss. She cupped his face as his arms went around her waist. He hugged her close to him for only a brief moment, and then let her go, gently pushing her back.

"Go. Get away from here Lo. Go to Watchtower." Lois nodded and turned away from him. But her path was blocked by Supergirl, as Lois took a step back giving her a confused look as she lifted Lois up.

"You'll be safer if I fly you there Lois. Chloe's at Watchtower she'll give you updates." Lois turned around, but couldn't see Clark as they were in a cloud of dust. She sighed and nodded at Kara, who flew her to Watchtower. Once Lois had gotten to Watchtower, her eyes were glued to the television airing the breaking news of Doomsday and Chloe updating her every few hours of what was going on. It was the longest day of her life. And all she could do was wait...


	5. Lightning Crashes

_Thank you all for the wonderful comments I really appreciate it:)_

_Please let me know what you think about this chapterr. Love it? Hate it? Don't hold back:D!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 5: Lightning Crashes- Live<strong>

_**Lightning crashes, an old mother dies, her intentions fall to the floor. The angel closes her eye, the confusion that was hers, belongs now to the baby down the hall. Lightning crashes, a new mother cries, this moment she's been waiting for. The angel opens his eyes, pale blue colored iris, presents the circle, and puts the glory out to hide.**_

_3 Months Later_

Her piercing screams can be heard throughout the entire hospital floor. Patients in their wheelchairs turned towards the end of the hall, and expecting mothers in the waiting rooms wore a horrified look as they turned to their loved ones to protect them from the fatal cries of the woman in room 209, hoping that their pain wouldn't feel the same as hers. All they can hear were her pleads to make it stop and the doctors in that room shouting on top of her screams to make her push as she refused. "Lois please! You need to push this baby won't make it!"

"NOOOO! NO I WON'T! NOT UNTIL CLARK GETS HERE! I NEED TO SE CLARK WHERE IS HE!"

Doctor Emil Hamilton winced at her screams as she refused counteractive drugs against the pain and refused to push until her husband came. He came around the hospital bed and placed his hand on her shoulder. She was breathing loud and hard as she hiccupped through her sobs. "Lois..." he spoke in a gentler tone as she bit her lip trying to muffle her screams. "Lois listen to me. Clark's not coming. You have to do this now. You have to push right now or your baby's not gonna make it."

Lois squeezed her eyes shut as she shook her head rapidly, turning away and burying one side of her face into the pillow; beads of sweat were running down her face, "I can't..." she said through clenched teeth. "I CAN'T! I can't do this without him. He promised he would be here. He promised he would make it. He's just gone to save someone right now. He'll be here. Any minute now he'll walk through those doors and be here for me. He promised he would be with me through the whole thing!" Exhaling loudly her head fell back, as she counted the bumps on the ceiling to distract herself from the excruciating pain in her abdomen. She felt like she was going to be sick and throw up, but she tried to swallow back the feeling, "He'll be here." Suddenly, her heartbeat on the monitor spiralled out of control and once again Lois screamed out as she clenched her body shut, refusing to push until Clark was by her side, holding her hand while she had their baby.

The doctor who was sitting in between her legs ran to Lois' side, "The baby's in distress, we need to perform a c-section if she doesn't start pushing now!"

Suddenly the doors flew open as everyone turned, and Lois, who had her eyes full of hope, once again disappeared, she let her head fall back down as tears flowed down her cheeks, "Where is Clark? Is he coming yet?"

Chloe stood by her side, her mouth in a straight line as she stared down at Lois, "You need to start pushing Lois."

Lois shook her head, closing her eyes, "HE'LL BE HERE CHLOE! Doesn't he realize having this baby is more important right now?"

Staring down at her for a while as the doctors were standing around her impatiently, Chloe knew what to do and she knew Lois would forgive her for this later, when her baby was in her arms alive and well, "Lois, Clark is coming. He's on his way, but he just has some more..." She looked back at the team of doctors staring at her before turning back to Lois, "Errands to run before he gets here. He told me to come here and help you out instead. He told me you need to push otherwise Chris won't survive. He wants to come back to see both his wife and baby alive and well. You just need to push. He's on his way right now."

Lois breathed heavily in and out as she looked at Chloe, "Clark's coming?"

Nodding Chloe clutched her hand, "Only after you have the baby. He'll be here when you wake up. I promise."

More tears pooling in her eyes, Lois nodded as Chloe held onto her hand as Lois sat back up. The doctor encouraged her to push as Lois screamed in agony, wishing she had taken the meds now, while Emil was monitoring. "Lois you have to keep pushing! Come on just one more time!" Lois squeezed Chloe's hand as she continued to cry. Oh how much she wished Clark was there right now. But it's okay. He was on his way. He's coming. That's what Chloe said, "One more Lois! One big one!" After the last one, Lois let herself go as she laid limp on the bed, pressing her palm to her forehead. She was oblivious to all the noise around her until she heard him. His cries. His pleads for his mother. She opened her eyes and looked up as she continued panting. The doctors were cleaning him up and wrapping him in a blanket. Lois crumbled right there as she sobbed while Chloe wrapped her arms around her.

"You did it Lois. It's over now. I'm so proud of you." She whispered in her ear. Lois pulled away from Chloe and looked up to see the Emil approaching her with the baby in his arms.

"Say hello to your son Lois." Lois continued sobbing as he handed her her baby. Cradling him close to her body, Lois gently stroked his cheek with her finger. The baby fussed in her arms as he cried endlessly.

Lois' jaw dropped in awe of what she and Clark had created, "Hey baby boy." Suddenly the baby stopped crying as he recognized his mother's voice. The woman who had been his protector, his home. He continued fussing for a bit until he found a comfortable place in her arms.

"He's beautiful Lois." Chloe managed to choke out as tears fell down her cheeks.

Smiling down at her son, she continued stroking his face, until the Doctor had come up to her, "We're going to need to take him now. You need to get your rest." Lois nodded as she let the nurse take her son without a fight. She was exhausted and wanted to sleep for eternity. When she woke up, Clark would be there, just like Chloe said he would.

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><p>It was 6 am the next time she when she woke up. Slowly her eyes fluttered open as her vision came into focus. She swallowed loudly as she turned over, facing the hospital window, where the blinds were covering the sun rising. Taking a deep breath she took in her surroundings of her private room, the lights were out as it was a quiet, dark room. She was alone. She had time to be alone. Time to soak in everything that had happened in the past 18 hours. Suddenly her eyes stopped at the rolling crib on her right. Next to her was her son sleeping peacefully in his "bed". Tears began to flow in her eyes as Lois reached her hand over and ever so slightly, touched his smooth face. He was warm. He was safe. He was healthy. She wanted to hold him so badly, but she felt too tired to even lift her arms up. Sighing to herself, she turned to her side and simply watched her son sleep. His face was turned away from her, his hands were in a fist as he laid it next to his face, and eyes closed shut. She watched his chest rising up and down. She continued to cry silently as she watched her baby sleeping peacefully.<p>

About an hour later, he began to wake up. She could tell he was going to burst and as if on cue, he opened his mouth and let out a cry, trying to kick his feet free from the blanket wrapped tightly around him. The nurse came in with a smile on her face as she spoke softly, thinking Lois was still sleeping. "Looks like he's hungry again Mrs. Kent. You ready to feed him?" Without another word, Lois simply nodded as the nurse helped her sit up. Lois winced as she pushed herself up with her hands and settled her back against the pillow. Holding out her hands, her heart melted as she held her son in her arms again. The feeling just wouldn't go away. Her baby. Her miracle. She made soft shushing noises as she tried to comfort him, but he was simply hungry and wouldn't stop crying until he got fed. The nurse helped Lois unbutton her hospital gown as she began nursing him.

Lois rocked him back and forth while the nurse gave her a warm smile and walked out. Lois was left alone with her son as she requested. Oliver made sure that she wouldn't get too many unwanted check-ins with the doctors and nurses. That was her only request. That she be left alone after she gave birth. And Queen was able to pay enough money to keep it that way. Lois gently stroked his cheek with her index finger as she was mesmerized by his face. The sound of the door opening broke her out of her reverie as she looked up to see Chloe slowly shutting the door behind her and walked over to her cousin. Her baby suddenly wrapped his hand around her finger and kept it secure. Chloe smiled softly as she stood beside Lois, placing a hand on her leg, "Hey Lo." She said ever so slightly as to not break the silence between them.

The corner of Lois' mouth curved up as she acknowledged her cousin, "Hey."

Chloe looked down at the baby and then back up at Lois, "How are you feeling? Any pain?"

Lois shook her head, "I'm just tired. It's been a long couple of days."

Chloe pressed her lips firmly together as she put her hands in her pockets, "So. How's the little guy doing now?"

"Hungry as ever." Lois smirked down at her son.

"Do we have a full name now?"

Lois continued rocking him as she focused her eyes on something distant, after a long silent moment, she nodded. Her glossy eyes met Chloe's as she waited for her answer, "Christopher. Christopher Clark Kent."

Chloe ignored the lump in her throat and forced a smile, "It's beautiful Lois. He's beautiful." Lois looked back down at Christopher as he continued to be nursed. Chloe stared back at the two and then hesitated to speak, "Lois... about before... what I said-"

"It's okay Chloe." Lois interrupted and looked back up at her. "I know. You did what you had to do... Thank you." She whispered. Chloe nodded, refusing to let the tears appear. She knew Lois didn't want the sympathy. She didn't need the emotional nostalgia.

"I'm gonna let you rest now. I'll come back later." Lois smiled back at her as Chloe left. As she turned the doorknob, she turned to look back at Lois once again, who sole focus was now on her son, and walked out.

Lois let out a deep breath she didn't even realized she had been holding. "Had enough little guy?" She buttoned back up her gown and cradled her son close to her chest, over her shoulder and padded his back as he burped. Pulling him back down to face him, she kissed his cheek and took a deep breath. Staring down at her son, smiling as he nestled against her, "You look just like your father." She whispered. Closing her eyes as her memories took over.

_Doomsday: 3 Months ago_

_ Lois paced all over her condo taking in deep breaths as she was trying to control her stress for the baby. She focused her mind on her steps, counting how many she took as she paced. It was 2am and the Doomsday war was finally over. She heard the news at Watchtower as the reporter on the T.V had made the announcement that Doomsday was finally defeated and Earth was saved. All night, the news reported pictures and names of civilians who were still missing in the midst of the chaos, the people who had been recovered in the rubble and in intensive care, and those who had sadly died. Broadcasters were emotional wrecks as they sent their condolences to the families and friends of those who had been lost and caught in the middle of a war. Apparently there was no sign of the League and Chloe. Lois had yet to hear from them. Chloe suggested it was best if Lois went back home and get some rest until they heard news of them. But Lois couldn't sleep. She tried to. So hard. But she couldn't sleep without knowing Clark and the rest of her friends were alive and well. _

_ "UGH! If I was the reporter covering that story I would've gotten the full details on what happened!" She continued to ramble to herself as that was starting to take her mind off of things. Suddenly after another hour, there was a knock at her door. Lois turned her head towards the door and without wasting another minute flung it open. She broke into a relieved smile as the entire league was standing before her. "Oh thank god! You're all okay!"_

_ Her smile soon faded as she noticed all of their faces. Standing before her were Chloe, Bruce, Diana, Oliver, Victor, A.C, Bart, Dinah, J'onn Jones, Kara and Carter. They all wore similar looks on their faces. Not looks of victory, but looks of defeat, and sadness. She noticed right away Clark wasn't with them. Lois swallowed hard as she let them all inside. "Come in. You all must be exhausted from the fight..." No one said a word as they came in. None of them took a seat, but stood and stared back at Lois. "What happened?" She said softly._

_ Chloe swallowed back the lump in her throat as she took a step forward, "Well they managed to defeat Doomsday. In the end... Clark beat him down and once he was at his weakest point, Victor strapped him to an asteroid using an electronic device attached and Diana flung him into deep space, on a trajectory which is certain to never intersect any other planet. He's never going to be able to come back."_

_ Lois nodded and exhaled loudly, stroking her stomach in comfort, "Okay... okay so that's good. You guys beat it." She nodded at them, expecting some sort of reaction, but no one said a word. She waited and waited, but there was silence, to which Lois was getting incredibly uncomfortable with. "Well..." She looked around to everyone, "Is someone going to tell me where my husband is?" At the mention of Clark, everyone shifted and looked anywhere but at her. Her eyes roamed everyone's faces as she denied what was going on in front of her, "What is it... where's Clark? Is he at Watchtower? Is he hurt?" She looked at Chloe, whose eyes were glistening, but she could tell she was fighting hard not to break down as her bottom lip trembled. Huffing in frustration, Lois raised her voice, "Will someone tell me what's going on right now! Where's Clark!"_

_ "Lois..." Bruce walked up to her and grabbed her shoulders. She looked back at him, raising her brow, waiting for him to say something. Anything. But she could tell he was hesitating, he opened his mouth and then closed it shut. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and hugged her close. Lois stiffened and stood frozen in place. She didn't hug him back, she looked over his shoulder at the rest of the league and saw all of their broken faces. The face they wore from the moment they had walked in, but she could see it clearly now. They were faces of sorrow, and loss, and sympathy. The sympathy. For her and her unborn child. "I'm so sorry." Was all that Bruce whispered in her ear that made it all too real for her. But somehow it was still hard to believe. Lois shook her head slightly as her chest rose heavily. Her faced began to scrunch up as tears fell down her cheeks and she didn't even realize she was sobbing. She clutched Bruce's jacket in her hands, balled into fists, continuously crying against him. Everyone else stood in silence out of respect as she mourned for the loss of her husband. _

_ "No..." She said in between sobs, "No. No. Why..." She pulled away from Bruce and walked towards the couch, gripping the edge as she leaned her forehead against her other hand as her elbow rested on her knee. "Why...How..." She struggled to speak in between her sobs, "How d-did..." She didn't even bother finishing her sentence. She closed her eyes shut and refused to believe it._

_ It wasn't until she felt a hand on her back when she finally opened her eyes to see Chloe, sitting next to her, stroking her back, "Lo... he put up one heck of fight with Doomsday... and in the end, he gave it his all to save our planet. He was a hero." _

_ Lois leaned her head against Chloe's shoulder, seeking comfort in someone's arms, "I-I can't-" She struggled to speak as she was crying continuously, "I can't...I..." She tried to take a deep breath, "He can't be gone Chloe he just can-" She made it through one sentence in one breath, but she couldn't speak anymore. She continued to cry as the rest of the League stood around her in complete silence as they stayed with her the whole night until she finally managed to stop crying._

_ This couldn't be happening to her. Not when they were going to have a son. Clark can't be gone. He just can't be._

Lois winced against that memory as she held her baby closer to her. Remembering the promise she made to herself and to Christopher. He was fussing around in her arms, squirming, as his bottom lip trembled, "I know baby... I miss him too. But I promise, no matter what, I will always protect you from all the hurt and the pain of this world. I'll try my best to keep you from feeling that loneliness and emptiness." She took a deep breath as a single tear fell down her cheek, "I'll try my best to make you happy Chris. Cause you had the best father in the world. He may not be here right now, but he'll always be with us somehow. He's smiling down on us right now." Lois continued to rock the baby to sleep while she was alone with her thoughts.


	6. I Was Here

**Chapter 6: I Was Here- Beyonce**

_**I wanna leave my footprints in the sands of time. Know there was something that, and something that I left behind. When I leave this world, I'll leave no regrets. Leave something to remember, so they won't forget. I was here. I lived, I loved. I was here. I did, I've done, everything that I wanted and it was more than I thought it would be. I will leave my mark so everyone will know I was here.**_

"Mrs. Lane-Kent?" Lois turned around to see the nurse smiling at her, while her hands were gripping the handles of the wheelchair in front of her, "It's time to check out now."

Lois sighed and smiled back at the nurse as she continued to pack up her things, "That won't be necessary I can walk to the car."

"I'm sorry ma'am it's hospital protocol." She gave an apologetic look.

Shaking her head, Lois ignored her, packing up the remainder of the baby's bag, "I'm completely capable of walking. Give that wheelchair to somebody who needs it." She picked up both her bag and the baby's bag and walked around the nurse, ignoring her completely as she walked down the hall. Her annoyed expression changed to a glowing grin as she came into sight of Bruce holding a car seat with her son carefully tucked inside it, with Oliver, and Chloe standing by him. She sighed, still smiling, "You guys didn't all have to come you know."

Oliver shrugged, kissing her on the cheek, "We wanted to. Little man has quite the fan club waiting for him at Watchtower." He took her bags from her as Lois tried to insist that she could hold them.

"Thanks guys, but I think I'm just going to go home." She said in a soft tone.

"Come on Lo you've been alone the whole time at the hospital. It's time to finally engage with society. And what better than to have a party." Bruce said as he gently swung the car seat back and forth, watching Chris looking up at everyone around him with wide eyes. As soon as his eyes met Lois, he squirmed and held out his hands for her.

Lois bent down and brought her finger towards him as he wrapped his whole hand around it. Smiling down at him, her heart melted at his baby blues looking back at her. Taking a deep breath Lois looked back up, "I know guys. And thank you Ollie for getting the nurses to give me as much privacy, but I'm really not up for a party."

"Well then don't think of it as a party." Chloe spoke up, trying to lighten up her mood, "Think of it as a proper 'Welcome to the world' thing for little Chris here." Lois smirked as she continued to play with Chris, tickling his stomach as he kicked his feet in the air.

"He does deserve that much..." Her voice trailed off as she thought more about it. "Alright fine." Nodding, all three of them grinned at their victory and led Lois to Oliver's limo as they headed to Watchtower.

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><p>As soon as Oliver pushed open the doors, the entire league yelled out "Surprise!" as Lois jumped up, startled by the sudden outburst. Everyone was there, as well as Tess, Emil, Courtney, and Carter.<p>

Lois rolled her eyes at Chloe, "So much for 'not thinking of it as a party'." She said pointing at the blue and white streamers and balloons surrounding the area as well as spotting a cake and presents in the corner of the room.

Chloe gave her an innocent shrug, "Trust me I had nothing to do with this Lo. It was all the guys I swear!" Lois shook her head, trying to hide an amused laugh.

Bruce squinted his eyes at her, "Hey don't bite our heads! Kid deserves it, we've all been waiting forever for him."

"Not to mention we had nothing else to do with our lives for the past day, we took advantage of our day off as crime fighters. Besides, you never got a baby shower Lo." Oliver put his arm around Chloe as they walked further in the room to address everyone.

Lois chuckled as she walked towards the group and everyone hugged her, wishing her congrats. It was quite a change from how they all normally act. Hugging her not of happiness, but out of sympathy, apologetically, remorseful of what she had lost. She shook away those thoughts and enjoyed this time with her friends for her son, who Bruce was holding in his arms. She walked up to him as he handed him to her. She smiled down at her son as he was sound asleep, "Alright Chris. Here we go. Time to meet your family kiddo." She looked up and thanked Bruce and introduced the League to her son.

"He's beautiful Lois." Dinah said, holding her chest.

"Thank you." She said smiling, and rocking Chris back and forth.

"Can I hold him?" Lois looked up at Kara, who wore a small smile on her face. Lois nodded and carefully handed her the baby. Kara looked down at him in awe, carefully cradling him close to her. Chris moved around in her arms and leaned against her chest, snuggling close to her.

"Looks like he knows his aunt." Lois said, wrapping her arms around herself.

Kara nodded, not taking her eyes off of him, "It's said that Kryptonian babies tend to recognize their own kind at birth. They know who their family is." Her eyes had gotten glossy as she handed the baby back to Lois. "He would be so proud Lois. Thank you."

Lois nodded at Kara, knowing who she was talking about, "I know..." she said softly. As she mingled with everyone in the group, Bruce Oliver, and Chloe were in one corner with Emil.

Emil watched Lois and shook his head, turning to the group, "For a minute there I didn't think she was going to make it." Chloe, Bruce and Oliver stared back at him in confusion. Emil looked down at his glass of scotch and smirked down at it, "She's been so strong through all of this, able to keep herself together throughout the rest of the pregnancy that when the time came for the baby to finally come, she let all her walls down and admitted to herself just how scared she was doing this without Clark. She..." He paused before taking a deep breath, "She refused to have the baby without Clark. And she was so close to the point of losing her son in that delivery room. I really didn't think they both were going to make it."

Oliver patted his shoulder, "You did good Emil. Thanks to you and Chloe, you helped Lois have her son." Emil nodded as Chloe simply smiled up at him.

"And she's not alone." Bruce spoke up as he stared back at Lois, smiling inwardly, "She has all the help and support she needs to raise Chris."

Chloe nodded in agreement, "Lois is my family. And so was Clark... we'll help her take care of their son."

"But you have to admit..." Emil started, "It's not the same. In some way... it's not going to be enough." All four fell silent, as they recollected the news of their dear friend and leader's death.

_Doomsday: 3 months ago_

_Chloe had tapped into every satellite feed to try and make sure Doomsday was shipped far off the trajectory. Once the signal was lost, she let out a deep breath and closed her eyes, "It's over." She said under her breath. Running her hand through her hair, she sat down on the couch to try and calm herself until she heard more from the league. The worst was over... or so she thought._

_ Back in the streets of Metropolis, everything was chaotic. There were broken down buildings and skyscrapers, the roads were filled with craters and fire. The city was abandoned by its civilians as everyone had fled away as fast as they could. The only ones left there were Cyborg, Wonder Woman, Batman, Green Arrow, Martian Manhunter, Impulse, Supergirl, and Superman. They all looked worn out. The Martian was tending to Cyborg's wounds as he tried to mend his torn torso, while Supergirl and Green Arrow were trying to help Superman. The rest of the members had gone off in the city looking for injured civilians who had been caught in the crossfire._

_ "He's barely breathing Ollie." Kara huffed as she cradled Clark's head on her lap, while Oliver looked over his wounds._

_ Oliver shook his head, wiping the bead of sweat running down his temple, "Both Superman and Doomsday fought each other with everything they had... his wounds... his wounds are too fatal... We need to take him to Emil or to the fortress to heal..." His voice trailed off when he heard Clark groan. _

_ Kara's eyes widened as she shook his head, "Kal-El? Kal-El! Can you hear me? Stay with me don't you die!"_

_ Clark's eyes slightly opened and he looked up at Kara and then at Oliver, who's eyes also widened as he waited for a response from his friend. He managed to say one thing under his breath, "L-Loisss..." His breath caught in his throat before closing his eyes again and his body went limp in Kara's arms. _

_ Both Kara and Oliver looked at each other, shock and denial spread across their faces. Kara looked back down, shaking her head, "Clark?" She whispered. She tilted her head to listen in on his heartbeat... nothing can be heard, but utter silence._

_ The rest of the world felt like a blur to them, Oliver looked back at Kara and noticed her remorseful expression. He struggled to speak as he asked, "Is he..." Kara's eyes met his and she simply nodded her head. Oliver pulled down his hood as he placed his hand on Clark's chest, covering the Superman shield as he broke down. The rest of the league saw the three of them and went over. Batman wrapped his arm around his ribs, groaning at every step he took towards them, "What's happening?" None of them answered to his question as he took in the scene as Kara and Oliver grieved. Batman shook his head in complete shock and fell to his knees in front of him. Wonder Woman bent down and wrapped her arms around Kara as she cried on her shoulder, while she looked up at the sky, wondering why did it have to be him?_

_ Impulse in distraught, also bent down and put his hand over Green Arrows which was covering the 'S' shield on Clark's chest, soon after, Batman followed suit and placed his hand on top of Bart's. At this moment, none of them were heroes. They were simply people, humans, grieving for their friend. _

Chloe closed her eyes as she remembered bearing the news of her best friend.

_ "What do you mean he's gone?" She pleaded, taking a step back as Oliver took a step closer to her, holding her by the shoulders as she continued to cry, shaking her head, "Oliver this is impossible! He's Clark! He can't just die this has to be some mistake! Maybe he still needs time to heal!"_

_ Kara clasped her hands tightly together as she spoke in a monotone voice, "Kal-El suffered extensive damage Chloe. It was a fight where he met his match. He defeated Doomsday, but couldn't make it in the end."_

_ "NO! This can't be true! I- I know Clark! He won't just die on us like that! Only Kryptonite can bring him down he's probably just wounded!"_

_ "Chloe..." Oliver spoke up, shaking his head at her in finalty, "There was no heartbeat... he's gone."_

_ After staring into his eyes for a moment, Chloe completely broke down in his arms, as he stroked her back. "I've been through so much with him Ollie. I know what he's capable of. I know the fight in him. This can't be it...Where is he?" She said into his shirt, before pulling away to look back at the group, "Where's his body?"_

_ "J'onn and I took his body to the Fortress..." Kara said in a soft tone._

_ Bart lifted his head up and walked towards her, "That's it then! Why can't we just ask Jor-El to revive him or something?" Everyone looked at him silently as Bart tried to reason with them, "I mean he's done it before? Why not do it now?"_

_ "Jor-El doesn't have the power to do that." J'onn replied._

_ Bart huffed and raised his voice, "Why not! He's done it plenty of times!"_

_ Kara shook her head, "Those were just lucky chances Bart. Those were times when he was wounded, or when his human journey had come to an end. Jor-El can't bring back the dead. If he did then another life must be taken to balance the cycle... we don't have the right to ask that. Clark wouldn't want us to." She looked down in defeat as the cruel reality dawned in on all of them._

_ Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, biting her bottom lip, and winced to herself, "He was going to be a father." She covered her face with her hands as Oliver hugged her again._

_ Bruce swallowed hard, "We have to tell her now." Everyone looked at Bruce and sadly nodded in agreement. Bruce tugged at the collar of his shirt, "Who's going to tell her?"_

_ No one responded for a while, until Oliver spoke up, "We all have to go."_

As the party went on, everyone took turns holding the new addition to their family. The bundle of joy that was part of their former leader, and the guilt that consumed them that this little boy would never get to meet his father.


	7. A Girl, A Boy, And a Graveyard

**Hey guys sorry for the long wait I've been studying for my exams but now they're done and I'm on spring break so I'll have some more time to update but it will take some time this story is still progressing:)**

**So without further ado, here's chapter 7. Thank you all so much for the reviews you guys are great :D!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: A Girl, a Boy, and a Graveyard- Jeremy Messersmith<strong>

_**I feel like I'm some kind of Frankenstein, waiting for a shock to bring me back to life. But I don't want to spend my time, waiting for lightning to strike.**_

_Two Weeks Later_

Lois had been taking a little stroll down the street as she pushed the baby stroller with Chris carefully tucked in as he continued sucking on his thumb while Lois gave him a tour of the city. She had just left the Daily Planet to introduce Perry to her new bundle of joy. She left in time right before he went on a rampage at Jimmy Olsen. Poor kid, he had no idea what was coming for him when he applied for an internship, working under Perry White was going to be a pain in his neck. She laughed to herself when she thought of the many times he had went all 'Great Caesar's Ghost' on the staff. She walked down the street as she talked to Chris, "You see that cafe across the street Chris? That's where Daddy stood me up the first time we were supposed to go on a date." She smirked to herself, "If you ever go out with a girl who has my attitude, you better be prepared that she won't make it easy for you to get another chance with her if you stand her up once." She shrugged as Chris was completely oblivious to what she was saying, as he continued to search around this new territory, admiring all the colors while Lois talked to herself, "Just one of mommy's rules of dating. But you won't have to worry about that for a while handsome. First I need to make sure you don't inherit x-ray vision." Sighing, she continued to walk as her voice softened when she realized they had reached their destination, "You ready to meet your daddy Chris?"

They had ended up at the Centennial Park where the mausoleum was located in front of a rather large statue of Superman made of gold with the engraving on the bottom titled, _In Honour of the Man of Steel_. Lois stared back at the statue and attempted to take another step towards the mausoleum, but couldn't bring herself to do so, as this was the place, over 3 months ago, where he died fighting Doomsday, and saving millions of lives. Lois took a deep, unsteady breath and she walked over to a nearby bench in front of the mausoleum and sat down, turning the stroller around. She unbuckled her son and picked him up, to which Chris didn't like as his nap was disturbed, his bottom lip was trembling, ready to cry.

"I know baby I know. Momma's sorry." She hushed softly as she cradled him close to her as he snuggled closer. She smiled down at her son and then looked up at the mausoleum, feeling the cool fall breeze swim across her face. It was almost as if she felt him here with her. The last time she was here was at his funeral, 3 months ago. He was buried just inside. And she couldn't bring herself to take another step.

_A Funeral for a Friend: 3 Months Ago_

_ "What do you want to do Lois?" Kara asked as she gently shook Lois' arm, who had zoned out of the conversation the league was having in her kitchen. She was overwhelmed with everything that she had sat down at the kitchen island and leaned her chin on top of her hand which were clasped together, resting her elbows on the table, looking out the window as the disputing around her had turned into muffling white noise in her ears. Lois' mind wandered to a better place. Having lunch with Clark at home telling each other about their adventurous days with Lois chasing down stories and Clark's saves around the world that day. A routine lunch she would never get back with her husband again. She was interrupted out of her own personal utopia as Kara brought her back to reality._

_ She didn't answer at first, and silently shook her head, not meeting anyone's eyes, "I don't know..." She whispered. Everyone fell silent as they waited for her to speak; no one dared broke the silent. Lois huffed, "I'm sorry I'm just tired..."_

_ "Maybe you should go rest..." Bruce suggested, approaching her._

_ Lois waved her hand at him, "No it's okay. I know you're all just waiting for me to make a decision I just..." Her voice trembled as she refused to break down again. She held up her hand to everyone, signaling them to give her a minute as she continued to take deep breaths, covering her eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. She knew the stress wasn't good for the baby, and she tried her hardest to stay calm and find some sort of happiness._

_ She lifted her head back up, composed as she slowly stood up, stroking her belly as she spoke, "I know people are going to start to wonder where Clark is. They're going to start to put two and two together if we do this, but I can't just make people think Clark left me. I won't ever let people think less of him."_

_ Chloe nodded her head in understanding, "So you want to have a funeral for Clark then?"_

_ Lois swallowed hard and didn't respond. She turned away from the forcing eyes and placed one hand on her back as the other stroked her belly. She continued to look down at her stomach until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Martha looking back at her with remorseful eyes which mirrored back at Lois. Martha's eyes were glistening as she looked back at Lois, "I know this is hard for you Lois. And no matter what you decide to do, I know Clark knows you made the right decision. Whether you decide to have a funeral for Clark Kent the loving husband with all of his friends and family, and the League can make a formal announcement that Superman is simply no longer with us, or whether it's a funeral for Superman with all of Metropolis tuning in while we simply make up a story about what happened to Clark." Lois started to breathe heavily as she wrapped her arms around the only woman who has ever come to be as close to a mother for her. _

_ Once she pulled away, Lois turned to the group, running her fingers through her uncombed, tasselled hair, "Superman was the world's hero, and so the world will want to pay their respects for the man who saved their lives and looked out for them on a daily basis." Everyone waited for her to continue, as she sighed, "We can make a public announcement on Superman's... death and we'll have a funeral for Superman. And Clark..." Lois wiped the tear that escaped at the corner of her eye, "Lots of people died on Doomsday... We can say that Clark went missing on that day and his body was never recovered."_

_ Bruce hesitated before speaking, "You don't want to tell them that Clark too is..." He couldn't finish his sentence._

_ Lois shook her head, "No... I... no. Superman was his true identity. It was an alter ego where he was able to show the world who he really is with his powers and be accepted for it. So we honour Clark with his origins... and what he died for." She spoke in finalty. Everyone nodded at her decision and made the arrangements. The city of Metropolis had decided to build a mausoleum at the very place that Superman had spent his last moments as well as a large gold statue replicating him. And Clark's body had been placed in a casket which was carried down by the Justice League of America, who were all wearing black bands around their upper arms with Superman's shield. Lois had been in the crowd, not to be able to be in the group with them had broken her heart but she knew it would be the safest not to expose herself as Superman's wife. Instead she stood by Chloe and Martha, who had held her hand the whole time, camouflaged in the large crowd who had gathered for the public funeral._

Lois rocked her son back and forth as she looked back at the area entirely dedicated to her husband. Chris' father. She smirked to herself as she looked down at Chris, "This place is a bit of an overkill isn't it Chris?" She pursed her lips as tears flowed in her eyes, "I know Clark would've wanted to be buried right beside you're Grandpa Jonathan. And be surrounded by simply his friends and family. The ones who knew both amazing sides of him." She swallowed hard before looking up at the statue, "But this was what was necessary I guess. He was a hero. Everyone was here to say goodbye." She took a deep breath, while Chris looked up at the birds flying in the clear blue sky, "Hi Smallville, it's us..." She spoke in a soft tone, almost a whisper. "I gave him your first name for his middle name." She smirked to herself, "I know I always told you I never liked the name Clark but... I always had a soft spot for that name. Now I know you wanted his middle name to be Jonathan but... I don't know it just seemed right." She smiled down at her son, "I know mommy seems like she's crazy for talking to herself... but daddy can hear me. I know it." She looked up at the sky as her tears clouded her vision, "I'm gonna be seeing you in our son everyday... I miss you baby." Her body cringed as sadness overwhelmed her. Chris sensed her distress as his eyebrows crinkled and he scrunched up his nose and let out a cry. Lois bounced him up and down, trying to calm him and herself down. "I love you Clark." She said before getting up and left his graveyard.

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><p><em>Smallville<em>

She had driven for a good three hours, with Chris sound asleep in the back, she continued to look back at her rear view mirror, smiling back at his beautiful face, who looked like he was having a peaceful dream. Her eyes went back to the road as she turned up the radio playing Whitesnakes a bit, but not loud enough to wake him up. She smiled to herself as the heavy metal band didn't unsettle him, but she could see a smidgen of a smile on his face. Listening to it nonstop from the womb did the kid good. Even though Clark always complained she never gave him a turn to listen to his music. Guilt overwhelmed her that she was too stubborn to let her son listen to his daddy's favorite music. She felt like she kept him away from his memory. Shaking away from those thoughts, she continued to drive until the yellow farm house came into view. Coming up to the driveway, Lois walked over to the back of the car and picked up the car seat with the ever sleeping baby inside. As soon as she had gotten her bag and the diaper bag, she took a deep breath before stepping towards the Kent farm house.

She stopped in front of the porch, her eyes glued to the door, refusing to look at the porch swing a few feet away from her, she raised her hand and gently knocked on the door. Waiting for an answer, she looked down at Chris and slowly swung the car seat back and forth. Her heart felt like it was going to break, she was in pain, every time she looked at Chris, she saw him. Closing her eyes to compose herself, she lifted her head up just in time to see Martha Kent open the door with a warm smile which only grew when she caught sight of her grandson. Lois grinned back at her, "Hi Martha."

Martha's eyes glistened in tears as her lips trembled, but she kept on smiling as happiness overwhelmed her, "Lois. Hi honey!" She wrapped her daughter-in-law in a warm, tight embrace, and gestured for her to come inside. "I'm so happy you can make it." Lois dropped her bags on the floor and sat on the dinner table, placing the car seat on the table facing Martha. Martha's breath caught in her throat when she was in full view of her grandson. Her eyes turned back to Lois, who kept her eyes on Chris, while gently stroking his belly while he moved around in his sleep. Martha put her hand on hers, "I'm sorry I couldn't make it for the birth. I-I got held up in Washington and I couldn't get a flight out in time."

Lois shook her head smiling up at her mother-in-law, "Don't worry about it. You're here now. And there is somebody who's been dying to meet you." She unbuckled Chris from his car seat and picked him up, cradling him close to her. Once she moved him out of his seat, he started to get fussy, and slowly opened his eyes and searched around his surroundings. "Meet your grandson, Christopher Clark Kent." She turned Chris over to face his grandmother.

Placing her hand on her chest, Martha grew emotional as she gently took Chris' hand in hers, "Hey Christopher." She looked back up at Lois, and gave her a wide grin, "You named him after Clark."

Lois nodded, "We planned on Jonathan for his middle name but... I'm sorry, but after everything I wanted my son to carry his father's name. I hope you're not upset."

Martha shook her head, "No Lois, it's a beautiful name! He's beautiful." She continued to play with Chris, who wore a toothless smile on his face as he kicked up his feet in excitement.

Lois looked back down at Chris, "Chris, this is your grandma. Can you say hi to your grams?" She gestured a little wave to Martha for Chris, "Hi grams." She whispered in a childlike tone to which they both laughed. "Do you want to hold him?" Martha looked back up at Lois and nodded with a hopeful smile. Lois adjusted her hold on Chris as Martha's arms took over. Chris started to whimper as he left his mother's arms, but as soon as he felt Martha's warmth, he calmed down, and started to suck on his thumb.

Martha's jaw dropped in awe as she looked back at those familiar baby blues, "He's amazing Lois. Thank you." She whispered. Lois nodded, "Can I get you something to drink? I know it's been a long drive you must be exhausted."

Lois waved her hand as to say no, "Thanks, but my biological clock has completely changed since I had this little guy here. He's kept me up all night and day, sleep doesn't exist anymore." She chuckled.

Martha pulled her mouth to one corner, "Well surely, you must have Chloe or someone to help you out."

"They do. But I still have to be up to feed him." Lois shrugged, "He doesn't want anyone but Momma Lois at his beck and call. The little pop princess." They both laughed together.

"Why don't you go get some shut eye for a while? You should at least get some rest, it's not healthy." Lois hesitated for a moment as her eyes were glued to Chris.

As if Martha read her mind, she cupped her face with one hand, "I promise I won't leave him out of my sight Lois. If I need anything I'll come get you right away. Go get some sleep, and I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Lois sighed and nodded, "Thank you Martha." With that, Lois headed upstairs. She was originally going to sleep in Martha's room, but as soon as she wrapped her hands around the knob, she stopped and turned to face the door at the end of the hall. After a few moments of contemplation, Lois dropped her hand from the knob, and headed for the other room. Clark's room. When she arrived to his door, she brought her hand up to place against the still framed wood door. Leaning her forehead against the door, she closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she finally pushed it open to reveal his room. It felt like nothing had changed. All of his old stuff were still here. Even though they lived in their condo in Metropolis, they always came back to the Kent Farm to get away from the city and from all the chaos. It was their weekend getaway, a place just to themselves while the rest of the world stood without Superman for just a couple of days. Lois gently closed the door behind her and walked around the room, touching anything that came in contact with her fingers. She picked up a picture of the two of them in New York smiling with the view of the city in the background from the Empire State Building on the nightstand. She smiled down at the picture, outlining the framework. Putting the photo down, She walked over to his drawers, and slowly slid it open. She found what she was looking for. Reaching down, she picked up one of his flannel shirts and brought it to her face. She inhaled his scent. Yes. It still smelt just like him. A sob was about to break in her throat, but she swallowed it back as she continued to clutch the shirt. Taking off her blouse, she wrapped his flannel shirt around her, slowly buttoning each button. Once she was done, she slowly slid into their bed. Staying on her side of the bed, she refused to turn over to his side. Refused to let her get that close to breaking down. Exhaustion finally crept in as her eyes slowly closed.

_ She smiled inwardly as she felt his breath tickle her cheek as he pressed his lips against her neck, and then onto her shoulder. Turning over, her eyes slowly slid open, and smiled up at his beautiful face. His baby blues staring back at her with so much love, "Hi." He says with a deep and subtle voice._

_ Lois brought her hand up to cup his face, "Hey baby. It's about time you came back."_

_ Clark wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her body close to his, "I never left."_

_ Her smile faded as she outlined his lips with her finger, "I really missed you." She said as a single tear fell down her cheek. "You have no idea how alone I feel." Her finger slight parted his lips as she felt his breath on her face, which heightened her heartbeat. There was no one else, just the two of them, just for tonight._

_ Clark leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers, "I'm right here Lo."_

_ "No. You're not. This is only a dream isn't it? You're not really here are you?" He didn't reply as Lois stared back at him. She sighed, and wrapped her arms around his neck, closing her eyes, "I need you Clark. I don't want to be alone. I want you back. I need you to come back to me."_

_ "Lois" he said in a gentle whisper and lifted her chin up to meet her eyes as she opened them, "I promise, I will always be here for you. I'll always love you baby. I'll do anything for you."_

_ Lois huffed as tears continued to stream down her face, "Anything?" Clark smiled back at her which made her heart melt every time she saw his glowing smile. She swallowed back her sobs, "Just hold me. Hold me until I have to wake up."_

_ Clark nodded and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to his body as if they were one. Lois leaned up and pressed her lips against his in a passionate kiss. He felt so warm, so alive, so real. She still felt the same way as if he were still alive. It felt so real._

Lois slowly opened her eyes and lay still on the bed for a moment longer before realizing she was on his side of the bed. She must've rolled over in her sleep. Closing her eyes, she brought his pillow up to her face and inhaled his scent. With her face still buried into the pillow, Lois finally broke down. She muffled her sobs into the pillow so that Martha wouldn't hear her from downstairs. His pillow was soaked with her tears while she wiped her nose with her sleeve. Wrapping her arms around herself, she continued to cry, whispering to herself, "I miss you so much... I miss you..."

After a few more hours, Martha finally woke Lois up for dinner. She had fallen asleep again, but once she was awake, she went to go take a shower and pampered herself up before going downstairs. She leaned against the doorframe as Lois watched Martha holding Chris, and telling him stories of when Clark was a boy. Lois grinned at the two before walking up to them. "He loves it when we tell him stories about his daddy." Martha looked up at Lois while she continued, "I can tell by the face he makes. He might not actually take in what we're saying, but I can tell he knows we're telling him about his father."

Martha nodded and handed him into his mother's arms, "I was just telling him about the time when Clark drove his first tractor with Jonathan. Chris seemed to be very intrigued. He was an exceptionally good boy while he let his mommy get some sleep."

Lois raised her brow at her, "Really? No screaming bloody murder from this one?" Martha shook her head in pride, Lois's jaw dropped as she turned back to her son, "Well look who's been such a good boy! Yes you are!" She continued to talk to him in baby tone until she fed him and finally sat at the table to feed herself. "This is amazing Martha I missed your cooking, thank you so much for having me."

"Pleasure's all mine Lois. I should be the one thanking you for coming." They both laughed together while they ate. "So other than the sleep deprivation, how's motherhood treating you? I hope you're not having a hard time..."

Taking a sip of her water, Lois shook her head, "He stays up all night while I try and get him back to sleep. But this kid loves the night. So I found a way to calm him down." Martha listened intently as she spoke, "He likes it when I drive. So I drive. It's funny, I know some people get away for a while or travel to actually find themselves. But it wasn't till my son was born, and I couldn't sleep, that I really got to know myself, and see how far I've come. I used to be a very stubborn, impulsive, crazy reporter. And back then if someone told me I was going to be a mother I would've laughed right in their faces. It seemed like an impossibility because I thought of myself as such a screw up. But now that I am a mother... I can't imagine not being one." She laughed whole heartedly to herself, as she continued, "Chris and I drive the same streets I drove when I was just a rookie reporter starting at _The Inquisitor_ and then partners with Chloe when I first started at the _Daily Planet_. We listen to the same kind of music, at least we both agree on Whitesnakes and he's sound asleep." Martha chuckles at that, "But other times he just sits in the back seat, eyes wide open, taking in the city like I did when I first got there. 2 am, 3 am, 4, we drive and we think... and we fuss a bit. Sometimes we eat... well, by eat, I mean I drive to the nearest 24/7 fast food place and stuff my face while he decides to finally get tired." Lois shook her head, deep in thought while playing with her food, "I guess some people let it wear on them. The lack of sleep. But I don't mind it really. When it's 3 in the morning, it's just me and Chris driving around in Metropolis. And I know he feels warm, safe, and loved. Sometimes those nights make me really think of how far we've come. Sometimes my heart... aches at how my life turned out. Sometimes in a good way because I have Chris, but other times..."

Martha tilted her head and for the first time, she really saw Lois. Grabbing her hand, Lois finally looked up at Martha, "You miss him don't you."

Lois bit her lips and slightly nodded, "Everyday. I visited his grave today in Metropolis. I brought Chris with me and... I can't help but think at how much I lost. Clark was my life. He was the best part of me, and he was just gone. I never get to see him again and it..." She closed her eyes to silence her sobs, "It breaks my heart. But then I look at Chris and I realize I haven't lost everything. I see Clark in Chris and even though it hurts sometimes to see that. It also makes me so happy, that I still have a part of him with me. I promised myself that I wouldn't show Chris that weak side of me. He doesn't need to feel loss, sadness, and grief. At least not the way that I feel. He needs a mother who can take care of him. Not one that he needs to take care of. I had to experience that when the General lost my mother. I was the one who had to take care of him and Lucy." She shook her head as her vision became blurry because of her tears, "I don't ever want that for my son."

Martha pulled Lois' hair behind her ear, "I'm so proud of you Lois. Have I ever told you that?" Lois didn't answer as she stared back at Martha, "You have got a wonderful soul Lois Joanne Lane-Kent. And you are an amazing, selfless mother. And Chris does need that." Lois nodded, "But you can't keep your feelings bottled up all the time to protect him from all the bad that the world has to offer in life. You need to let these things out. It doesn't need to be with Chris, but at least talk to someone whenever you're feeling alone. You put on a brave face in spite of everything that's happened in your life. But you know in life if you let it, you can always come up with reasons to give up, but if you don't, you might just find love in places you never imagined. Whether it's in a new relationship, or in your work... or in your children. Whatever it is. Just don't give up on it Lois. You'll get through this. It gets better. I promise." Lois nodded and hugged her mother figure as she took comfort in her words.

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><p>She had been resting in a deep sleep until she heard his shrieking cries in the next room from the baby monitor sitting on her nightstand. Taking a deep breath, Lois slowly opened one of her eyes and peeked up at her alarm clock. Exhaling, she smirked to herself, "3:45, right on schedule Chris." Taking the covers off herself, Lois silently strode out of her room and into the nursery across from hers. Slowly opening the door, the nightlight shown from the corner of the room and she could see his silhouette fussing around, throwing his tiny fists up in the air as he wailed for his mother. Lois wrapped her hands around his body and picked him up from the crib while making hushing noises, "Shh... it's okay baby." She sat herself down on the rocking chair behind her and rocked slowly back and forth as Chris started to have the hiccups over his cries, "It's okay honey..." She whispered gently into his ear while cradling him close to her, "Mommy's here now. You're safe." She watched him snuggle close to her, burying his face into his father's flannel shirt she was wearing. A small smile formed on her lips as her tears fell down her cheeks. At that moment, Lois realized this was how all her nights were going to be, just the two of them. Just her. Alone. Without the one person who can make it better for her.<p> 


	8. Wait it Out

**Chapter 8: Wait it Out- Imogen Heap**

_**Everybody says time heals everything, but what of the wretched hollow, the endless in between. Are we just going to wait it out?**_

_A Year and a Half Later_

_"I do..." He said in a soft whisper as he slid the gold band around her slender finger, clasping her hand gently as she smiled sweetly up at him._

_ "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss your bride Mr. Kent." _

"_Finally!" He grinned down at her as his arms wrapped around her body as he captured her lips with love. She felt so warm around him. All the howling of the crowd cheering and clapping for them was a blur to the two of them. At that moment, it was just the two of them, together in a simple moment of happiness. It was the happiest she's ever felt in her entire life. The moment she had finally fully given her heart to the man she loved. _

_She moaned against his kiss as he pulled away, "I love you Clark Kent."_

_She felt his arms tighten around her waist as if he vowed to never let her get away from his grasp, "I love you Lois Lane-Kent." She smiled and rested her forehead against his, "You're safe now. You're home..." His voice trailed off into a soft, blurred whisper as she slowly fell back into consciousness and felt herself lying on her side against her pillow..._

Lois knew this moment was coming. The moment where she had to wake up, the moment where she was forced out of her euphoric consciousness and back into the cruel reality of her life. Her eyes opened as her face was rested against her pillow, staring down at her bedsheets, she wrapped the blanket tighter around her, begging to be able to dream again. It was over. The dream was over. Licking her lips, Lois continued to rest in bed until she felt her energy had been stored for the rest of the day. About two hours later, she had finally gotten up and followed up on her daily routine. Taken a shower, with the baby monitor sitting on the bathroom sink as she did so. Once she had finished, she got dressed and fixed herself some breakfast while she read recent news in the _Daily Planet. _As she was sipping her coffee, she continued reading the paper when she heard a knocking at the door. Looking down at her watch she skidded down the living room towards her door and swung it open with a smile on her face. "Hey Bruce, come in." She stepped away from him to come inside as Bruce walked inside her home.

"Morning Lo. How's your day so far?"

Lois groaned as she closed the door behind her and walked with him to the kitchen, "Pretty unproductive. I didn't do anything other than eating breakfast and reading the paper."

Bruce smirked as he sat down on a stool at the kitchen island, "You just can't stay away can you."

Lois put her hand on her hip and pouted her lip, "Weekends suck. Days off suck. Holidays suck."

"Basically, any time you don't get to spend at the Planet sucks... as if there was nothing else important in your life?" He raised his brow at her as she chuckled.

"You know Chris is the best part of my day. That's why I sometimes bring my kid to work with me... It kind of annoys Perry because he can't exactly yell at me like his old self while I have a baby strapped to me."

"You would think he'd have built a daycare at the _Planet_ by now with the number of times you bring him." Bruce teased.

Lois pressed her lips together, as she poured him some coffee, "He's considering it. Especially for single moms. At least I have my handy team of babysitters to coordinate a timetable for me." She winked at him as he shook his head at her chuckling to himself as he took a sip of her coffee.

"Where is the little guy anyways?" He said looking around at the living room where all his toys were scattered around the floor.

Lois pointed a finger to his room, "Still sleeping. His biological time frame is on a fritz he's still taking owl naps. Can I get you some breakfast?"

Bruce shook his head at her, "Thanks I'm good. I just had breakfast in Gotham before flying in."

Nodding to him she continued chewing down at her own breakfast. Bruce admired the way she never cared about how much she ate. This woman can eat like a sumo wrestler and still look amazing. "Thank you for coming to Metropolis to help me out by the way." Bruce was broken out of his reverie as he listened back into the conversation as Lois continued, "It really means a lot that you're taking the time to do this considering I know you must be busy with Wayne Industries and being Batman."

Smiling back her, Bruce replied, "It's my pleasure Lois. I know this must be very important to you."

Lois nodded, looking out the window, smiling to herself, "It's Chris' first official Christmas. I know I didn't really do Christmas for him last year, but this time I'm doing everything by the book. Starting off with the tree!" She grinned back at him, "Once Chris gets up, we'll be on our way. You don't have any plans later do you?"

"Uh no I cleared my schedule for you."

Lois tiled her head to the side, "Aw aren't you the sweet one." Bruce rolled his eyes at her as she continued to tease him. Once Chris had finally woken up from his zombie nap, Bruce had driven Lois and Chris to go tree shopping in Smallville. Lois knew the best place to get Christmas trees.

"What about this one Lois?" Lois turned around to see Bruce pointing at a short, stubby tree and grimaced at him. She walked around bouncing Chris up and down as he was strapped to her front in a baby carrier enjoying the view of all the green around him.

"Bruce that looks like half of it has been chopped off! Do you know trees at all?"

Bruce groaned and jogged to catch up with her, "Well where exactly is this perfect tree of yours smartass?"

Lois gasped and punched him in the shoulder. Bruce flinched and stroked his bruised arm, "No swearing in front of the one year old!" She hissed at him.

"Like you haven't slipped up." He murmured under his breath to which Lois couldn't hear.

"This tree has to be perfect Bruce. You don't understand. I know people may think Chris won't remember it, but I will, and it's going to make me happy seeing that sparkle in Chris' eyes when he sees the joys of this holiday. I know I wasn't a big believer in Christmas. Before I met Clark I really couldn't care less about Christmas. But then... our first Christmas together is something I can never forget. It was my first real Christmas. I can remember everything perfectly from the way the tree smelt to the dinner he cooked for me, and then all of the Christmas lights outside we saw as we drove by..." Lois swallowed hard and looked down at her son who was drooling and chewing his rubber giraffe. "I want Chris to be surrounded by family and feel loved, so that every Christmas, he'll be reminded of the purpose of being happy regardless of all the things that's happened..." Her voice trailed off as they continued walking down the path as they searched for a tree.

Bruce stared back down at her and his heart ached for her. He understood why she wanted this to be perfect. Last Christmas was too much for her to handle that she couldn't celebrate it. She didn't even bother acknowledge it. None of the members of the League did. It was like any other day in their lives. A reminder of a special day that had been ruined because of that one fateful Doomsday battle. And now she wanted to make up for that and give him the proper meaning of joy and happiness. "You want him to have this happy moment so that it could be a day where he doesn't need to be reminded of what he doesn't have."

Lois looked straight ahead, but nodded at his comment, "We really need to find this tree." They looked around and after many contemplating and Bruce playing victim to Lois' countless yelling whenever he suggested a tree she didn't like, they finally found the perfect tree. It was tall, around 6'4, perfect green colored and it looked full and grand. Bruce was about to get some help taking it before Lois yelled out, "WAIT!" They all stopped, startled by her exasperation. Lois stepped closer to the tree and took one large sniff of it. She looked down at Chris who was smiling from ear to ear, which made her smile. She looked up at Bruce, "It's perfect. Take it away boys!" Bruce chuckled at her as they brought the tree of perfection back to her place.

After about an hour of Lois contemplating the perfect place in the living room, Bruce yelped out, "Lois I'm telling you it'll look great in front of the window, everyone does it like that!" He watched as Lois tapped her foot against the floor board. She looked down at Chris, who was stacking up his building blocks in his playpen, not a care in the world about anything else.

"I wish Chris can make the decision for us..." She said with a sad face.

Bruce raised his brow, "Is that why you keep looking at him whenever I suggest something? You want his approval? Lois may I remind you that you're depending that fate of a Christmas tree on your one year old boy?"

"One and a half. Pretty soon he'll be president of the world, making all the decisions aren't you baby?" She bent down, tickling his belly as Chris yelped in laughter, lying on his back as Lois blew kiss on his belly.

Bruce shook his head, smiling down at the beautiful scene before him. "You chose the tree, now I'm choosing where it goes and I say it goes right here in front of the window. It's perfect!"

Lois looked back up at Bruce and grinned, "Fine by me. We need to start decorating now and then everyone's coming tomorrow night for the Christmas party."

"Now you're sure you're not cooking right?" Bruce said with caution.

Lois rolled her eyes and stuck up two fingers, "Scouts honour Batman. I am ordering the best cater in the world. Martha Kent. She's coming and bringing in the Turkey and Chloe's helping me make the mashed potatoes and by help I mean she's cooking while I watch, and then you all have to come and bring in some sort of food to make it a feast. Oh don't worry, I'm taking care of the eggnog, brought to you by the grocery store and there are four cartons sitting in my fridge right now."

Bruce laughed, "Well that sounds like a plan. This is great Lois. Really. I know last Christmas wasn't exactly a joyful time to celebrate. We were all in a dark place then and for you to bring us all together and have a good time and be able to bring us to a happier time is very noble of you. And very selfless. Thank you."

Lois nodded, putting her hands in her pockets, "I know that everyone has been going through the same thing as I am. He was a big part of all our lives. My son really needs Christmas. I want to protect him from all of this grief we're feeling. I need him to be happy and as long as he is... then so am I." She inhaled deeply as tears began to appear in her eyes.

She looked down at Chris and then sat down on the couch, watching him play. Bruce watched her with sad eyes and sat down next to her, "You think about him a lot?"

Lois bit the inside of her cheek as she looked down at her hands, "There's never a moment where I don't think about him... I mostly think about the what ifs. What if he had led a different life? What if... what if he hadn't been a hero? Would he still be alive today if he was never Superman?" She shook her head to herself as Bruce fell silent, simply listening to her, "I know it was his destiny saving the world. He had a purpose in his life and we all helped him reach for it. But being Superman cost my son his father" Lois sighed, "Maybe I'm being selfish. But... it breaks my heart that I ever shared him with the world. If I had kept him close to home with me he would still be here with me. And we would all be a family. I know it's selfish, but ever since I lost Clark... there is a part of me now that wishes he had never become Superman. He would still be alive today. A new found part of me wishes he would've put _me_ first before the safety of the world for just that one day." Lois shakes her head in disbelief of herself, "I know I sound like the worst person ever..."

Bruce takes her hand in his and waits for Lois to look up at him, "You're not a bad person for thinking this Lois... you're just... human. It's in your nature. You have been selfless all your life. You and Clark. That's why you both were so great together. It's okay to feel this way." Lois nodded as she wiped away her tears, "Just look at your son. Look at what you and Clark created. You have a beautiful son who has a part of Clark in him. Chris is alive today because of his father. Clark wouldn't be the man you loved if he wasn't the selfless man who sacrificed his life for the well being of the rest of the world."

Lois bit her lip and shook her head, "I know." She whispered.

They were both silent for a while. Bruce decided to break the silence, "I can't believe that it still hasn't snowed here in Metropolis yet. It's like a snowstorm in Gotham right now."

Lois grimaced, "Don't go there Wayne. There's 2 more days left till Christmas, its happening."

Bruce furrowed his brows at her, "I read the forecast Lane, there's no sign of snowfall this week. They say it's going to be a green Christmas."

Lois punched him in the arm, "Have faith will you! The universe will be on my side Christmas Eve. It will snow. You'll see." She raised her brow at him as Bruce laughed.

He bent down and picked Chris up from the ground and placed him on his lap, "What do you think Chris? Isn't mommy silly for thinking it's going to snow?"

Lois bent down and kissed Chris' nose and he pulled away, burying his face in Bruce's chest, giggling, "Momma's not silly. Momma knows it's going to snow! I promise you'll be making snow angels on Christmas Eve."

"Ha ha we'll see!" Bruce snorted as he swung Chris up in the air, holding a warm feeling in his heart. A deep feeling of yearning to be a part of her family. For her to be able to see him the way she sees Clark.

* * *

><p><em>Christmas Eve<em>

"Here sweetie you wanna take that?" Lois says as she holds Chris, positioning him on her hip as she hands him the last ornament from the box that Martha had sent her. It was a beautiful snowflake shaped ornament made out of crystal. She gently handed it to Chris, who took it and started staring at it, turning it over and then he started shaking it in his hand, having fun with it. Lois chuckled at him and took his hand as she clasped it on the string attached to the ornament. She guided his hand towards the tree and helped him hang it on. Once it was hung, Lois stared at it for a moment and smiled back at her son.

"Now that's what you call an accessorized tree" She turned around to see Chloe staring back at the tree in awe with her arms crossed.

"It was all Chris' doing." She bounced him up and down on her arm which made him giggle and grab locks of her hair.

Chloe chuckled and walked towards them, taking Chris in her arms, "Well I'll say that operation Christmas tree is a success."

Lois nodded and turned back to clean up the boxes which held all the decorations. She came to an abrupt halt when she spotted something in one of the boxes which were all of the Kent's' old decorations. Reaching into the box, Lois pulled out a white snowman with a blue and red scarf holding a small circular frame with a picture of Martha and Jonathan dressed up as Santa, holding a young boy with raven hair smiling at the camera. On the bottom was an engraving read, _Clark's first Christmas._ She held her breath when she held it in her hand. She had completely forgotten about this one. Squeezing the ornament for a moment she went back to the tree and gently hung it on one of the branches facing her. Taking a step back, she continued to stare back at the picture, not noticing the single tear trickling down her cheek.

Chloe came back into the living room with Chris in her arms munching on a grape. She furrowed her brows when she came closer, watching Lois staring back at the tree, with her arms crossed. She wasn't sure what Lois was staring at, but she gently squeezed her arm as Lois jumped up, startled and turned to face her. Chloe noticed the tear down her cheek and she smiled back at her, pulling back a lock of hair behind her ear. "Come on. You wanna help me finish baking the cookies?" Lois took a deep breath and nodded back at her, following her back to the kitchen to finish up the dinner before the party started. Lois sat on a stool with Chris on her lap as she fed him a cookie while Chloe was slaving away.

"Thanks a lot for doing this for me cuz. You're the best."

Chloe shrugged as she pulled out the last batch of cookies from the oven and fanned them on the table, "Don't mention it Lo. This is going to be the best Christmas party ever. Right Chris!" Chris replied by giggling and licking the cookie dough from the bowl, "I mean it Lois. Tonight's going to be great. And I have to warn you Ollie might be making a jollier intro than anyone else." She winked at her to which Lois rolled her eyes.

"Oh god... Ollie's dressing up as Santa?" Chloe chuckled as she and Lois started setting up the table while Chris played with his toy cars in the den.

"He was getting really excited when he realized this was Chris' first official Christmas so he decided to go all out."

Lois laughed, trying to picture the green archer in a fat Santa suit, "I can't wait to see how he's gonna look. I don't think I'm gonna be able to contain myself the second he comes through those door I'm gonna burst!" Chloe smiled watching Lois in a fit of laughter before Oliver even arrived and it made her happy, seeing Lois finally laugh.

After finally setting the table with the food that they had made, all that was left was waiting for the guests to arrive. The first knock on the door was Martha Kent and Lois embraced her in a tight squeeze before letting her in, "Merry Christmas Lois. And where is the cutest grandson in the entire world?" She goes over to Chris and places light kisses all over his face as he goes in a fit of laughter, wrapping his small arms around her neck. She stood up and turned to Lois, "I was going through more of my things and I realized I forgot to give you this." She handed Lois a rather large brown box.

Lois opened it and grinned when she saw the gold angel in a beautiful gold and white dress. She looked back up at Martha and smiled, "It's perfect. I actually didn't know what to put at the top of the tree so I just left it naked at the top, maybe making a funny tradition out of it. You just saved Christmas grams!" Lois hugged her again and then went over to Chris.

"You want to put the angel at the top of the tree Chris?"

Chris smiled and nodded rapidly yelling out a, "YA!" All three women chuckled as Lois picked up her son and let him hold the angel, trusting him not to drop it. She lifted him sitting over her shoulders and guided him towards the tree.

"Now you need to put the angel right on top of the branch sticking up towards the sky Chris. You can do it!" They all watched as Chris was staring down at his mother and then to his aunt and grams. He wasn't sure what they were waiting for, but they were all smiling and encouraging him. Looking back at the branch, with one hand, Chris slowly dropped it onto the branch as it held onto the tree. As soon as he'd done that, he heard all three women cheer and clap at him which made him jump and smile down, clapping along with them which made them laugh. Lois brought him back down and kissed his cheek, "Good work my little Superboy." She said softly as he smiled back at her.

Soon after, all the guests had finally arrived and lastly, Oliver had come out dressed as Santa Claus, to which Chris was mesmerized by. Lois bit back her laughter at him as he bounced Chris on his lap, "HO! HO! HO! Now I see you have been a very good boy Christopher" He said to her on as Chris' lips were parted in an 'O' form, looking up at the white bearded man.

Bart, who was drinking some eggnog, rolled his eyes at Oliver, "I think you're creeping the kid out Oliver."

"I think boring him is more like it. He's thinking in his head, 'Just give me my present and leave old man'" A.C said as everyone else chuckled.

Oliver squinted his eyes at all of them, "Will you guys cut it out! You're going to give him the wrong idea about Santa!"

Kara shook her head, "I will never understand the concept of Santa and the flying reindeers. I mean what's so great about a strange being coming to people's houses at night while they're asleep?"

Chloe laughed at that to which Oliver raised his brow for encouraging them and she quickly stopped and he started to defend himself, "Listen you Kryptonian foreigner, Santa's the guy who gives kids their presents and make them happy on Christmas morning. He's the jolly old guy who generously takes the time to give every kid a present."

"But he's not real? And I doubt every kid gets a present on Christmas." Kara shrugged.

Oliver scowled back at her, covering Chris' ears, "Geez Kara, quit crushing a little kid's childhood fantasy!"

"He's a baby amigo... he doesn't even know how to say Christmas do you think he's going to understand Santa Claus? For all he knows you're his great great great grandpa." The gang began to laugh again and then Lois decided to cut in.

"Guys cut it out he's trying to give Chris a good time. Humour him will you." She grinned at Chris, who was tugging at Oliver's white beard, twirling it between his fingers.

Oliver nodded at Lois, "Thank you legs. At least someone's not crushing the spirit of Christmas."

Bruce nudged Ollie, "Lighten up Ollie, we're just messing around with you. It's pretty hard to take you seriously dressed like that."

"He's a man with many sides to him Bruce, Oliver Queen, billionaire by day, Green Arrow by night, and Santa Clause by Christmas." Lois teased, punching Oliver on the arm as he handed her son to her.

As everyone walked towards the dinner table to start eating, Chloe blocks Oliver's path to which he smiled back at her while she tugs at his suit, "You look very cute in this suit Mr. Claus."

Oliver bows his head down to kiss her, "Why thank you Ms. Sullivan."

Chloe raised her brow at him seductively, "You think you could wear this later tonight when we're alone?"

Oliver raised his brow at his girlfriends new found fetish and hesitated to ask, "Did your dad ever dress up as Santa?"

Chloe chuckled, "Nope."

He let out a sigh of relief and wrapped his arms around her, "In that case you have officially made it to the naughty list Chloe Sullivan..."

She pursed her lips and came closer to his face, "Well then I need to be punished... Santa." He laughed as he bent down and kissed her deeply before they joined the rest of the group for dinner.

After dinner, everyone had some eggnog and Bruce stood up from the table, "I'd like to make a toast." Everyone looked up at Bruce as he held up his glass of wine and began his toast, "It's been a while since we've actually done this. I mean we have gotten together for business and duties, but this is the first time in a long time where we have all actually gotten together just for the sake of being together. Whether it's to have a good laugh or a good time together. We haven't exactly been the same since we lost one of our own. To be honest I feel like we all drifted apart since that fateful day and we've lost ourselves along the way. We try and get by the day, but we miss him every day, and none of us have been the same since." He swallowed hard as his eyes met Lois' as she kept a composed face, the corner of her mouth curving up to a smile, Bruce continued, "Anyways what I'm trying to say is... you guys are my family, and I'm happy that we're finally able to pick up the pieces and celebrate this holiday together as a family and we have Lois to thank for that, for bringing us together. You will always be that person who kept the glue staying in this League. Thank you for this dinner Lo." He brought his glass up in front of him, "Cheers." Everyone smiled and clinked each other's glasses together and sipped their wine. Bruce sat back down and looked back at Lois who mouthed a thank you to him to which he replied by nodding. The rest of the night went by well as everyone came together in the living room and opened the presents given by their secret Santa. Even though they all had one gift to give, everyone from the League gave Chris a present and Lois rolled her eyes at all the toys he got. The kid was getting spoiled rotten.

She stood by the doorway when Bruce came up to her, "Looks like I got you for secret Santa." He handed her a small velvet box which Lois took with a grin.

"I was wondering who got me. You better not have gone over the top Bruce; please don't tell me you used your extra large bank account on this." Bruce chuckled and shrugged without an answer as Lois unwrapped the present. She carefully opened the box and her lips parted when she picked up the silver chain bracelet with a single diamond charm in the shape of a bird with its wings widely spread out. She watched it glimmer in the light, "Bruce... this is so beautiful I can't believe you got this for me."

Bruce took the bracelet and put it around her wrist, "Don't mention it. This charm is a phoenix, and in mythology, it's is known as a fierce, strong being. When it dies, it is thought to reborn from its ashes it burned from to live another life, a life longer than its previous one." Lois watched him as he spoke, "You've come a long way Lo. You're as fierce as a phoenix, and you've picked yourself up well enough to keep on living a happy life."

Lois took a deep unsteady breath; her heart began to ache, an ache that was nowhere near to healing, an ache no one knew just how strong and painful it was to bear. That even the mention of her pain simply caused her more pain in the end. But she would never let Bruce know what it was doing to her. He didn't know any better, he's just trying to help. She forces a smile back at him and pulls him in for a hug, "Thank you." She whispers in his ear. Bruce embraces her and closes his eyes at their closeness. Not wanting to get lost in the moment he pulled away as she smiled back at him with gratitude.

Meanwhile, J'onn Jones came up to Chloe who was pouring herself a glass of wine; she looked up to see J'onn standing behind her, "Hey J'onn. You having fun?"

J'onn smiled nodding to Chloe, "This has been a wonderful night indeed. Everyone seems happier. It seems as though a little more light has been shed into our lives."

Chloe nodded smiling back at Oliver, Bart, and Kara who were playing with Chris, and Diana, Dinah, and Martha were mingling and laughing together on the other side, and Carter and A.C, munching away at the log cake with Lois and Bruce, "We're finally going back to normal. Whatever normal was to us."

J'onn smirked as he looked back at the scene before them, "I have to talk to you about... the situation."

Chloe stared back at him with cautious eyes, "We can't." She nodded her head to the others, "Kara might hear us..."

Clearing his throat, J'onn spoke in a low tone, "We'll meet at Watchtower then."

Chloe bit her lip, "What am I supposed to tell Ollie? He's going to want to know why I'm going there so late and he might even want to come."

"Well there's no harm in telling him-"

"No." Chloe cut him off, "I don't want anyone knowing about this J'onn. At least not yet. This is between me and you."

J'onn took a deep breath, "Alright. But I really need to speak with you." He looked back at Kara, "Kara's seems preoccupied and we don't look suspicious. I can tell whether she can hear us anyways."

Chloe looked around and nodded her head, turning away to take a sip of her wine, offering J'onn something to eat as they continued to look normal, "What is it?"

J'onn sighed, "Chloe... I've tried everything I can. I've asked Jor-El for any hope and he's saying the same thing as me, Kal-El isn't going to wake up."

"Is he still in the Fortress?"

"Yes. I did as you asked me. I took him out of the mausoleum and he's in the Fortress right now in a casket covered in a crystal emblem which is trying to give him life force." J'onn paused, wiping his forehead, "Chloe it's been a month and there's been no progress. You did everything you can... Kal-El is gone."

Chloe huffed and gulped some more wine, "You can't just say that J'onn. I know Clark. He's not just someone who can die like that. There has to be some way to bring him back like the power of the sun."

"Chloe it's not that simple. Kal-El had suffered so much in that fight that he couldn't take it in the end. His life line has ended."

"Stop saying that J'onn."

"You need to face the truth like the rest of us have. Look I only did this as a favour. What if Lois found out about this? She would never forgive you for keeping this from her."

Chloe shook her head, "I'm doing this because I love Lois. But I'm not going to give her false hope. I'm not going to tell her by getting her hopes up that her husband could potentially be alive just to crush it. I don't believe this is the end of Clark Kent and you as a guardian of the El family should have more faith than that. Unless there is even the slightest progress that he's coming back to life we tell no one."

"Chloe. I had watched Jor-El and Lara-El lose their lives in a war. And now their son had lost his life in a fight as well. It's been over a year and he hasn't revived himself. You need to stop thinking of him as a god."

"You can't just give up on him now J'onn. Lara died, but Kara had a crystal with her DNA which brought her back to life. That was a miracle, but unfortunately it backfired. Now I need you to give Clark a miracle and help me bring him back. I've seen enough miracles in my lifetime to know that there is a microscopic possibility that I can give my nephew his father back and my cousin the love of her life. I need your help J'onn please. I need you to help _me_ play god. I need to know that we did everything we could to bring Clark back." Chloe swallowed hard and ran her fingers through her hair, whispering, "Clark refused to give up on me when I was taken over by Brainiac. The Legion told him that the only way was to kill the vessel, me. Beyond all other possibilities that were impossible, Clark found a way to keep me alive. He followed his instincts. I'm not about to give up on him now. I don't care if it's been a year. The guilt of burying him without a second thought had been eating me up for a year. I refuse to believe my best friend is dead. I don't care if he's not breathing or if his heart isn't beating. He's Superman. He is a man that goes to the ends of the Earth to protect and save the ones he loves. We owe him the same J'onn."

They both stayed silent as J'onn stared back at Chloe's determined eyes and saw hope in them. He silently nodded and spoke up, "I'll do everything I can to find a way."

Chloe sighed in relief, "Thank you." J'onn nodded and gripped her shoulder.

Back in the living room, Lois walked away from Bruce and the rest of the guys and went to her son who was playing with all his new toys that were given to him. She could see the happiness on his face and the twinkle in his eyes that showed her he was starting to get the meaning to the holiday. Her heart melted as she watched him laugh and play with Santa Oliver and Bart who was speeding around the room playing peek a boo with him. She smiled at the scene of her family having a good time.

"Hey guys!" Diana yelled out, pointing to the clock, "It's officially midnight! Merry Christmas!" Everyone hugged and wished each other Merry Christmas.

Lois picked up her son and spun him around in her arms as he laughed hysterically, "Merry Christmas my baby boy. I love you so much." She kissed his forehead and walked towards the window and much to her shock she saw a beautiful blanket of white covering the city at night with balls of snowflakes falling from the sky. Lois began to laugh hysterically and called out to Bruce, "Well what do you know Wayne it looks like I won that bet after all! Looky here it's finally snowing in Metropolis. And right on time too. It's like what they do in those cheesy movies where it snows right on Christmas... the timing's uncanny!"

Bruce held out his hands to his sides in disbelief, "How does this even happen? The weather report doesn't say anything about it snowing here!"

Oliver chuckled, "Haven't you ever learned to never believe in the weather report? It's a Christmas miracle Ho! Ho! Ho!" Lois shook her head as she faced the window again, watching the snow fall with her son, feeling the tears stinging in her eyes as she closed her eyes and rested her cheek against the top of Chris' head as he laid his head on her chest.

* * *

><p><strong>Soo what do you guys thinkk:)?<strong>

**Please leave your commentss and tell me what you thinkk;)**

**Now this was all still the beginning part of the story to develop the actual plotline and in the next chapter, that's when the heart of the story begins:)**


	9. Rivers and Roads

**Chapter 9: Rivers and Roads- The Head and The Heart**

_**Nothing is as it had been, and I miss your face like hell. And I guess it's just as well, but I miss your face like hell. Rivers and Roads, Rivers and Roads, Rivers till I reach you.**_

The phone rang as Lois slightly jumped up. She and Chris were cuddled together on the couch watching a Charlie Brown movie. She quickly picked up the phone after the third ring, "Hello?"

_"So I thought one of the perks of having a boyfriend was to not be alone on New Years and what do you know, Ollie has been called for duty tonight so I am sitting home alone with Chinese food."_ Chloe said with a sad tone.

Lois smiled through the phone, "Aw I'm sorry sweetie. I'm sure Ollie will make it home in time before midnight. If you want you can come over and have a Star Wars marathon with your favorite nephew and cousin?"

Chloe chuckled on the phone, _"I'm all the way in Star City cuz. Its okay I'm having a blast with myself. Turns out I'm not too bad company."_ She said ever so sarcastically.

Chuckling on her side Lois replied, "You most certainly are not."

After a few moments of silence, Chloe spoke up, _"Anyways I just wanted to talk. So what are your plans for tonight?"_

"Nothing really. Chris and I are having movie marathons and in about 45 minutes he's most likely going to fall asleep and then it's off to bed for the both of us."

_"Sounds like the perfect way to end the year."_

Lois hugged her son close to her as he leaned against her, his eyes glued to the screen, "I couldn't have thought of anyone else to end it with." She paused for a while, "I got all choked up with all the New Year's celebration going on TV and... I don't know it made me think of Clark and..." She stopped talking as she looked down, pulling on a string that came off the afghan, unable to talk about it anymore and Chloe sensed her sadness.

_"Hey."_ She called out softly through the phone.

"Hmm?"

Chloe grinned, _"I love you Lois Lane."_

Lois nodded, "I know." She spoke in a soft whisper.

_"I'll see you next year."_

Lois chuckled, "Happy New Year cuz." With that, they both hung up. Lois continued watching the movie with Chris. She barely concentrated on the movie as her mind wandered elsewhere. She looked down at her son who looked back up at her grinning while grabbing his foot, wearing his footie pajamas, "It's just me and you kid."

Chris pointed at the TV, "Movie done." he squealed out.

Lois looked back at the TV and smirked to herself, "Looks like it is kiddo. I didn't even notice."

"Again!" He yelped while standing on the couch, bouncing up and down.

Chuckling, Lois gently pulled him back down to sit, "No more Chris. It's time for bed."

Shaking his head, Chris slid off the couch and went to play with his new toys, "No bed."

"Yes Chris. You can't be up all night."

"No ma!" He pouted as Lois rolled her eyes at her stubborn son. She walked towards the window as she looked out to the city. It was filled with bright lights and people wandering down the streets celebrating. In the midst of it all, Lois simply looked up at the stars and the snow falling from the black sky. She wrapped her arms around herself and closed her eyes, taking in a deep, unsteady breath. Her heart began to ache again as a familiar feeling of loneliness overcame her. She turned back to watch her son crush his cars together, she decided to do something she hadn't done in a year.

Walking over to Chris, she bent down, "Hey baby you want to go for a drive outside?"

Nodding rapidly, Chris yelped up, "Ya!"

Lois grinned widely and shared his enthusiasm, she swung him up in her arms as he giggled, "Alright let's get you bundled up. We don't want you to catch a cold now do we?"

"No" He said shaking his head.

Chuckling, Lois wrapped him in his warm winter jacket and put on some shoes for him, once he was ready; she put on her own jacket and picked him up, heading out the door. She drove down the streets of Metropolis as they sat in traffic. She watched the people walking down the streets drunk and celebrating with their friends and family. Every few minutes, she looks up at the rear view mirror to look back at her son looking out the window at all the hiatus and the tears fill her eyes once again. She didn't know why she was here. She didn't know what led her to come to this very place on New Year's Eve with her son. But she had never missed him more than right at this very moment. And she just had to see him again. Be around him. Picking Chris up from his car seat, Lois began walking towards the gold statue in the shape of Superman. She stood in front of it for a few moments and took a deep breath; every step was like walking through fire for her. It was painful, but she had to get to the other side. Once she finally entered the mausoleum, she walked towards the single casket that was placed in the middle of the room. It was safely secured in the white marble room, surrounded by a variety of flowers. She was alone in the mausoleum as the silence was incredible she can hear her own breathing. Lois took a few more steps further and stopped in front of his casket. A sob was rising in her chest and she tried to compose herself.

Holding Chris in one arm, her other hand went towards the casket where his body was thought to be resting in. Her fingertips brushed the smooth ruby red wood. Her palm laid flat against the casket as she heard her own breathing heighten.

Chris looked down at his mother and copied her action as he placed his own palm on the wood. Lois watched as his tiny hand playfully slapped the casket. Lois sighed and spoke in a quite whisper, "Hi Clark... it's me." Taking a deep, unsteady breath, Lois put down her son as he stood beside her, watching her intently. Lois put both hands against the casket and closed her eyes, standing patiently in silence. Soon after, she spoke softly, "From the second everyone told me you were gone, my heart sank. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. And now that I've managed to move, all I can think about is you. All the good that you have done for this world and how much you had to pay for it... You have never made any decisions for yourself, you've done it all for me, and for your family." A single tear fell down her cheek, "Clark" she pleaded, "I know it's been over a year, but I still can't believe it. I can not... believe that I have to explain the concept of death to our little boy. That I have to help him go on without you and I'm not sure if I can do that." She swallowed hard before continuing, fighting with herself, refusing to break down, "Because I can't go on without you. Your mom says that I have to have faith in myself and that I'm gonna be okay... but I... I don't know if I can do this without you... I don't know if I can do this alone anymore..." Lois began to gently stroke the smooth surface of the casket with her hand, wanting to touch him so badly, "You had so much more to live for. Your son needs you. I need you" She looked back at her son, who stood a few feet away from her, picking at the rose pedals nearby, she turned back and spoke even softly so that he couldn't hear her, even though he wouldn't understand, she didn't want him to see her like this, "Chris needs to know about the wonderful, selfless, humble, strong man you are. He needs to know this about his father I can't just tell him stories... he needs his father." Sadness overwhelming her, Lois bowed her head down as the tears fell down her cheeks, "I can't hear that you'll never come home again. That I'll never learn something new about you again, never experience your selflessness, your love, your warm touch again. Clark... please, have we really had our last conversation? Our last kiss? Was that day I saw you fighting Doomsday the last time you ever got to hold me, the last time I ever got to touch you? I know I can't say this. I know I can't put you up there, but I need you to be a god for me Clark. I need you to be god... and come back to me. I need you to come back to life Clark. This can't be it. This can't be the end of Lois and Clark, I just need you here... with me... right now..." Her voice trailed off as all her moral senses were thrown out the window. Twenty one months of being strong for her son, putting on a brave face, none of that mattered anymore, she allowed herself to really feel it. Really feel her loss. Lois fell to the cold marble floor and wept in her hands. Sobbing and crying continuously, she didn't notice her son was standing in front of her until he put his hands on hers, pulling them away from her face. She looked back at the confused expression on his face as he saw his mother really crying for the first time.

Sensing her distress, Chris dropped to the floor in a sitting position and Lois watched his face scrunch up as he burst out in tears, crying endlessly in front of her. Suddenly, her voice of reason came back to her. She found out how much in denial she was in as she watched her son cry in front of her from seeing his mother crying. This was exactly what she didn't want. She didn't want her son to ever feel the same pain she had, and now it was too late. She had brought in that emptiness in his life by watching her be in pain. Chris knew his mommy was sad. He knew this strange place they were in was making her sad, and it will be embedded in his head that something was missing in his life. Lois suddenly snapped out of it and wiped her tears from her face with the sleeve of her jacket. She wrapped her arms around Chris and hugged him tightly, "I'm so sorry Chris. I'm so sorry. D-Don't cry baby, Mommy's not sad anymore. Please don't be sad honey." She pulled him away to face her as he began to hiccup from the heavy sobs, "Look mommy's not sad anymore!" She said cheerfully and grinned at him widely. He suddenly stopped crying and watching his mother smiling at him and kissing him all over his face. "Mommy's not sad. I'm okay. And you're okay. We're both okay." She continued to grin at him and in time, he began to grin back at her. She hugged him tightly and picked him up, stroking his dark hair. She turned back to the casket and spoke in a husky tone, "Happy New Year's Clark." She turned to her son who was looking down at the casket, "Say bye to daddy Chris. Can you say bye-bye?" She took his hand and waved down to the casket.

"Bi-bi" He said and Lois walked out of the mausoleum as her eyes glistened to the sound of the midnight bells and the cheering from afar, feeling truly lonely as the new year began.

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><p>Once she had left the mausoleum, Lois continued to drive while Chris was sound asleep in the back. Only this time she didn't go back to her home in Metropolis. She went back to Smallville. To her real home. She had turned off the engine and picked up Chris in her arms, who didn't like being disturbed from his slumber as he began to fuss and cry. Lois made soothing noises which made him fall back asleep. Once inside the Kent House, she gently tucked him in his bed she had gotten in Clark's room. Lois walked out of the room, closing the door behind her and walked downstairs to the den. Sitting on the carpet in front of the fireplace, with her back resting against the couch; she flipped the pages of her wedding album. Smiling down at the pictures, she pulled out a picture of her and Clark, having their first dance on the dance floor. He was looking down at her with so much love; Lois placed her finger against his face and brought it to her lips. Tears continued to fall down her cheeks as she tried to be quiet as to not wake up Chris. Her sobs continued to grow. Her heart literally felt like it was being shattered into a million pieces. Unable to take it anymore, Lois shut the wedding album and threw it away from her a few feet away. That was a memory she would only have in her head. Clark wasn't with her anymore to remind her of how much he loved her. She only had the memories in her head, pictures, and videos... but it wasn't enough.<p>

She walked towards the barn, with the baby monitor in her hand. His loft was a place where she barely visited anymore. Standing in the middle of the barn, she closed her eyes, remembering dancing in his arms under the disco ball. The first time he told her he loved her. Wrapping her arms around herself, Lois rocked back and forth, hoping if she closed her eyes long enough, he would appear in front of her, and this would all be a dream. Only in her dreams, he was alive, and living their beautiful life together raising their son. Lois' hands covered her mouth and she broke down again. No one ever saw this side of Lois Lane. Not Bruce, not Oliver, not Chloe, not even Martha. They all thought she had it all together. She was the selfless, strong mother. She appeared to be that way in front of them. Happy go lucky, enthusiastic about Christmas trees and laughing at Oliver dressed up as Santa. Yes. Lois Lane seemed like she was handling the death of her husband very well. She seemed to be moving on with life. But when she was alone, Lois Lane was far from alright. When she was alone, she took off her disguise and relives her last moments with Clark every single day. She didn't want to do it anymore. She didn't want to cry and have her heart broken every morning she woke up, thinking her dream was a reality. She thought the bruise would go away but it hasn't. She just wants Clark. Clutching her chest, Lois looked up to the loft and the telescope that was pointing towards the stars. She walked up the stairs and gently touched the telescope, looking up to the stars; she felt the cool night breeze brush across her face. Tucking at the chain around her neck, she pulled it out, looking back at the diamond ring hanging from the necklace. No one knew she wore her engagement ring around her neck every day. Bringing the ring to her lips, she closed her eyes, "I miss you Clark." She whispered. Turning around, Lois heard the floor board creek against her foot. After much contemplation, her curiosity got the best of her as she bent down and pulled out the loose floorboard. Before her, she saw a black box. Gently picking it up, her hands shook as she opened the box to reveal all things Kryptonian. All of Clark's special possessions were in there. The key to the Fortress, the key to the Phantom zone, a led box containing the meteor rocks, green, black, and silver, a crystal from the fortress, the Kryptonian dagger used to destroy Zod, a silver Kryptonian bracelet that resembled one that Kara had. Lois looked at all of his possessions and noticed another black box inside this one. Lifting the box out, Lois was about to open the lid, but stopped abruptly when she heard her son stirring in his sleep through the baby monitor. Lois put everything away, but brought the unopened box with her back to the house. Once she had arrived inside, she went straight upstairs as she watched her son, tossing and turning in his sleep. She bent down next to him and gently stroked his face with her finger, when he continued stirring, Lois ran her fingers gently through his hair, which soothed him and soon stopped moving and slept peacefully. Sitting on the floor cross legged next to his crib, Lois hesitated before opening the black box, looking back at her own reflection against the silver-plated polyhedron. Turning it over, Lois noticed two markings on each side of it. She knew what it was; she just never knew Clark still had it. "I thought you were destroyed..." She said to herself. She watched the two sides of the Kryptonian engraving that read the mark of Transference. Slowly standing up, Lois clutched the mirror box in her hands. It was shaking in her grasp as she held it tightly, boring her eyes into it. He still existed on the other side of this box. There was a possibility of seeing him again. Clark was still alive in that other world. They can be together again. She knew what this box can do... and she knew how to use it. Question is would she? Her eyes drifted back to her sleeping son, and then back to the mirror box.

It wasn't logic. It was love. Beyond all reasons of doubt and her instincts screaming at her to reconsider what she was about to do, her heart ached for Clark. She needed to see him again. She needed him. And with that in mind, Lois took the silver puzzle box in both hands, and turned it to complete the Kryptonian symbol engraved on it as it began to glow.

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><p><strong>I know I left you guys in a pretty big cliffhanger but all the other chapters didn't have one so this is a well deserved one:) only thing is that I'm still working on the next chapter so it will take some time before I update again:) Stay tunedd;) Please leave your reviews!<strong>


	10. Cowboy Casanova

Heyy guys I know you all are wondering "what the hell was lois thinking?"

Lol well the fact is that she really wasn't thinking with her head on her shoulders, she just missed being in Clark's presence so much that it hurt too much and even though it's been over a year she still hasn't gotten over it and it all hurts just the same and so she was just desperate to be with him again that she saws an opportunity and took it, she wasn't thinking about what the consequences were.

I know that in the show, Clark Luthor was an asshole I'm making this more AU in my version, the episode 'Kent' never happened and Oliver is still alive in that other world. And Lionel never came to the Earth-1, he stayed and he died of old age and now Clark is the owner of al his assets. He's still a complete ass as you read along the story I'm not changing much about his character in the story, just the situation with him and other characters. Here's a glimpse of Earth-2 Clark Luthor. Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 10: Cowboy Casanova- Carrie Underwood<strong>

_**He looks like a cool drink of water, But he's candy-coated misery. He's the devil in disguise, a snake with blue eyes, and he only comes out at night. Gives you feelings that you don't want to fight. You better run for your life.**_

_Metropolis: Earth-2_

"Here are the bank statements, and all controlling interests of Queen Industries Mr. Luthor." The investment banker takes out a couple of sheets from his file and slides it across the glass table. "I just need you to sign these papers and you will be the sole owner of both LuthorMedia and Queen Industries."

Clark takes out his pen and signs his name on 6 papers, sliding it back to the banker. They both stand up as he straightens up his black Armani suit, shaking the man's hand, "Thank you Robert. I'm gonna need a copy of those so don't be a stranger." He says with a stern tone as Robert, the banker nods his head and exits his office, just as Oliver Queen walks in from the elevator, with his hands in his pockets. Clark looks up at him with a smirk on his face and heads towards the bar to pour himself a glass of scotch, "Well well, Oliver Queen doing the walk of shame once his arch enemy takes over his company. To what do I owe the pleasure of you pathetic presence?"

Oliver narrows his eyes at Clark, "I just want some answers. Why did you do it Luthor?"

"Well it wasn't all me. I have your wife to thank for all of this." Taking a sip of his scotch, Clark points a finger towards him, "Oh wait... that's ex-wife now isn't it?" Oliver stares him down while Clark chuckled to himself, "What can I say. You have no one to blame but yourself for everything that you lost."

Oliver shook his head at him, "How could you do it? You caught Lois at her most vulnerable and took advantage of it."

"I'm not the one she married and then caught in bed with someone else Queen. What was her name again, Dinah Lance was it? Tsk tsk Oliver I thought you were looked up at by the public as a family man? A man who would never cheat on his wife."

Oliver sighed, "That's none of your business." He paused for a moment while he looked back at Clark, "So this was your plan the whole time? You just waited until our divorce settled and when we split our shares of Queen Industries?"

Clark shrugged, "I'm a patient man. Once you two decided to share Queen Industries, I knew when to pounce. You're the one who's half went bankrupt remember? Consider it me doing you a favor."

Oliver scoffed at him, "You think by buying Lois' half out you did me a favor? She didn't know any better and you blinded her by helping you in a hostile takeover against me!"

"Lane didn't seem to care much that she helped me buy out your company. I actually haven't seen her since she sold and I doubt it's beating her up. Hell she might even be celebrating, in this case it's the ultimate revenge of the ex." Laughing into his glass, he watched Oliver at his weakest point and smirked at his victory. These two were always arch enemies since boarding school in Excelsior Academy. They grew up on different sides of the country, but somehow managed to cross paths again in Metropolis due to business and the feud began again. "You know what? Since you have nothing to do now but play house with Dinah Lance, let me help you with your troubles." He goes over to his desk, and writes him a cheque. Walking over to Oliver, he smacks the cheque against his chest as Oliver groans at the pain. Looking down at the cheque, Oliver smirks, shaking his head, "That's how much I think your sorry ass is worth. One dollar."

Walking back to his desk, Oliver calls out to him, "You really have no compassion for anyone do you? You just get what you want when you want because of your name and don't care about who gets hurt along the way. I guess that's the perks of being put on a pedestal by daddy when he was alive."

Clark looked up from his eyelashes with a menacing stare at Oliver, "And I guess your parents are rolling over in their graves knowing that their son failed to save the family business and it ended up in the hands of the son of the man who murdered them."

They stared each other down in silence for a good long moment before Oliver dropped the cheque on the floor and walked out of his office.

Leaning back on his chair, Clark sipped on his scotch in silence, celebrating his victory all to himself. That is until Tess Mercer walked in, holding up the _Daily Planet_ newspaper "So you have become worthy of the front page once again. 'LuthorMedia buys out Queen Industries with the help of the former Mrs. Queen'." She smirked at the last part, "Lois Lane isn't as smart as she turns out to be if you were able to manipulate her into selling to her arch enemy."

"Lane knew what she was getting herself into when she made a deal with the devil. I gave her an ultimatum in which I would win either way and she realized she had no option. She's just as naive as the rest of them, you just need to find their weak points."

"And in this case her weak point was her oh so betrayal of a marriage." Tess mocked as she took a bottle of water from the bar. "So now that you took down Oliver Queen, what's next?" She said with a smile as she took a sip of her water.

Clark sighed, "Oliver may not have his company anymore, but he's still Green Arrow, and I know he has suspicions that I'm Ultraman. I've been monitoring his history with the company assets and he takes quite a number of trips to Gotham. I wonder..." His voice trailed off as his train of thoughts started to run.

Tess watched him and wrapped her hand around his arm, "Hey. Why don't we take a break from all of this and do some celebrating." She said in a soft, seductive tone as her hand started to head down to his belt buckle.

Clark rolled his eyes and abruptly stood up, "Not tonight Tess." He said as he set down his glass and straightened out his suit.

Tess sighed and walked behind him, "Come on Clark. You want it bad don't you?" She said as she kissed the back of his neck.

Once again, Clark walked away, "You know desperation is an unattractive trait on a woman Tess. You know the only reason you're still here is because I need you to cover for me while I'm Ultraman. But you can easily be replaced."

Tess laughed out loud, "Who can you possibly replace me with Clark? I'm pretty much the only one who is willing to give a crap about you. Other than me you have no one. You're a lonely pathetic billionaire who can't get anyone to love him."

Clark smirked, "Well you know what they say, it's lonely at the top. And if I'm the lonely pathetic billionaire who can't get anyone to love him then that just makes you the lonely pathetic bastard child who daddy couldn't love so she seeks out to find as much attention as she can get from anyone who has a pulse."

She walks over to him, grinning, "That's why we're perfect together." Tess leans in for a kiss and Clark let's her relish her moment before roughly grabbing her by the shoulders to which makes Tess wince.

"Go find another f*ck buddy Tess." He pushes her away as she stumbles backwards, Clark walks out of his office without another glance back at her. He knew Tess was in love with him, and so he'd taken advantage of that, knowing no matter how he treated her, she would always be coming back to him, he'd never be alone. Then why did it create an unsettling feeling in him after Tess told him he had no one in his life that cared for him. Shaking that feeling away, Clark drove off in his Ashton Martin into the city. He ended up at the Daily Planet. Knowing she would still be there, researching, and writing her stories. The Planet was dead, no one but the night janitor roaming around. Walking up to the 8th floor, Clark used his super hearing to hear the clicking of the keyboard coming from her office. He saw her boring her eyes into the screen, oblivious that he was leaning against her doorway, "Do you ever go home?" At the sound of his voice, Lois jumped up from her seat, letting out a scream. Clark found her outburst amusing as he tried to hide his laugh, "With the amount of hours you stay overtime, you could practically live here."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him, and went back to typing, "What do you want Mr. Luthor."

Clark smirked, "Touchy touchy. You shouldn't let your bitterness out on other people. I didn't cause your marriage to fumble."

Lois took a deep breath to compose herself, "Who said I'm bitter? It's late, I'm working and you're face is hardly something I want to look at right now."

Clark raised his brow at her feistiness, "Hardly huh? So you admit you find me partially attractive."

Lois stopped typing and looked back at him, "Is there something I can help you with? We did our business I don't think there's anything else to talk about."

"I was just wondering if you wanted to get a drink with me. You know, celebrate our victory of taking away the one thing that meant the world to Oliver Queen."

Lois' eyes fluttered, "I don't celebrate my ex-husband's misery. That's what you do best so go do that by yourself."

"Is someone feeling guilty all of a sudden? And you're blaming me for you choosing to sell his company? I hardly think that's fair Lane."

"I'm not blaming you for anything _Luthor_." She enunciated on his last name, "I'm just not that evil that I want to celebrate other people's misery." She went back to her typing, "I have work to do so if you can please leave I'd appreciate that, I'm working on a very important story-" She jumped when she saw he was standing right behind her, looking at her screen, with his brows furrowed.

"Ultraman? That's your new story?"

Lois quickly closed her screen, "You may own the Daily Planet, but that doesn't mean you get to snoop through my research."

"I told you before Lane that we're not writing anything on Ultraman. The Daily Planet doesn't do gossip."

"It's not gossip, its facts that there's a man out there killing people and marking his slogan all over the city." She stood up, crossing her arms at him, "And I have my suspicions on who that might be." Clark looked down at her as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Meaning?" He said in a low tone.

"Meaning I have been married to Oliver long enough to share his beliefs. We have been working on uncovering who it is and we have an idea as I'm sure you know..." Her voice trailed off as he looked like he wanted to shoot fire at her through his eyes, "I know you and Tess control everything that goes on the paper... but the Daily Planet isn't the only place I can exploit Ultraman. I'm sure the Inquisitor would love the publicity."

Clark bore his eyes at her, and then smirked, "Do what you want Lane. You're fired." Lois blinked, taken aback, "Pack up your things I want you gone by the end of the week. Take your story elsewhere but I'm warning you... if you do what I think you're going to do then just know that Ultraman doesn't just kill anyone that walks by him. He's more careful than that. Why don't you get your head out of your ass and look at the criminal records of the victims who Ultraman has killed. He doesn't just kill for pleasure. I'm sure it'll be an eye opener for someone as naive as you. It's no wonder it took you this long to realize your husband had been having an affair behind your back." With that, he left her former office and headed out, as Lois slowly sat back in her chair, overwhelmed by the fact that she just got fired.

Clark had found himself at the Ace of Clubs, sipping on another glass of scotch at the bar as he scanned the room for all the lonely hearted women in the room. A blonde woman, who was clearly drunk, stumbled towards the bar and ordered another shot, "Make that two." She turned to see the gorgeous dark haired man staring back at her with a smile. "What's your name?" He said out of formality... not that he cared to remember it.

The blonde girl giggled, and moved closer to him, "Yvonne, you?"

The bartender approached them with their drinks, Clark picked them up and handed one to Yvonne, "I'm just a guy in a bar."

After a few minutes of mingling, Yvonne found herself against the wall of the bathroom stall, moaning as Clark left trails of kisses down her neck, grabbing her wrists and pinning them above her head. She wrapped her leg around his thigh as he moved closer to her, grabbing her waist. They continued to make out until Clark had an unsettling feeling at the pit of his stomach, as if he was getting carsick. He ignored the feeling and continued kissing Yvonne. She slowly opened her eyes to see the man before her was suddenly emitting a white light from his body. "W-what's going on with you?"

Clark raised his head and pulled away, confused at what she was saying. She must be really drunk, he thought. Suddenly, he looked down at his hand and noticed it was glowing white. Looking down at his body, he noticed his entire body was glowing and the white light continued to grow, "What the hell?" He said under his breath. Suddenly, he pushed Yvonne out of the way who fell to the floor, wincing in pain, as she was blinded by the white light, when suddenly, as she looked up, the man who was standing before her disappeared in front of her eyes.

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><p><strong>I'm sure you all know what's happening where Clark might be going and you might have questions about the function of the mirror box, and it'll be explained in the story I promise:) Next chapter is the reunion (For Lois at least;P)!<strong>


	11. Easy Being Alone

**Hey guys sorry for the long delay I've been working on developing the plot of this story and its starting to flow:)**

**So here's the reunion chapter I hope you enjoy it and many of your questions and doubts will be answered in the following chapters after this one:) As usuall please leave your comments and revieww:)! You guys are great motivators!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 11: Easy Being Alone<strong>

_**There's a reason I said I'd be happy alone. It wasn't cause I thought I'd be happy alone. It was because I thought if I loved someone and then it fell apart, I might not make it. It's easier to be alone, because what if you learn that you need love and you don't have it? What if you like it and lean on it? What if you shape your life around it, and then it falls apart? Can you even survive that kind of pain? Losing love is like organ damage. It's like dying. The only difference is death ends. This? It could go on forever.**_

Lois' eyes flew open as she found herself lying on her bed. She was lying on her side as she rolled over, staring back at the ceiling. Confused, she slowly sat up, watching Chris sleeping in his bed. She had a massive headache as she groaned in pain, bringing her hand up to her head. She wasn't sure how she ended up in her bed. The last thing she remembered was turning the mirror box. With that, Lois jumped out of bed, looking around herself. The mirror box. What happened? She ran to the window and opened the curtains, they were still in Smallville, and everything looked exactly how it usually is. Normal. It looked like any other peaceful night in the Farm. Letting the curtain fall closed, Lois clutched her chest and looked around the room. Everything was exactly as it was. The picture of her and Clark was still sitting on the nightstand. Walking over to the dresser, she pulled it out the familiar red and gold flannel shirt. Bringing it up to her face, Lois closed her eyes, embracing his warmth, his scent still lingered in it. She was still in her world. "Did I dream it?" She whispered ever so softly. Lois continued to hug his shirt against her. Looking back at the time, Lois sighed and concluded it was all just one of her very creative dreams. Carefully folding his shirt back into the drawer, she walked towards where her son was sleeping and watched his chest rising up and down as he looked like he was dreaming. "I wish I could be where you are little guy." She said softly. It was then when she heard a noise coming from downstairs. She was sure she was imagining things when she was positive she heard it again and realized they were footsteps. Her breathing hitched as she tried to compose herself. Looking back at Chris, Lois went to her closet and pulled out a baseball bat. Cautiously opening the bedroom door, she noticed the shadow of a figure downstairs coming from the living room. Lois began to panic. Someone was in the Kent house, she wondered if she should call Chloe or Bruce, but didn't want to make any noise that would alert the stranger. So Lois followed her instincts, remembering everything she learned from the General to catch an intruder by surprise. Slowly descending down the stairs, Lois leaned her back against the wall until she heard movement. Peeking her head slightly from the edge of the wall, she noticed the tall, dark figure with its back facing her. He tilted his head as if he was listening intently to something. Lois quickly retreated back, closing her eyes and counting to three. Once she hit three, she raised her bat, and began to face the intruder. She charged towards him and swung the bat with all her force, aiming for the back of his head.

Everything happened before she could blink as the dark intruder spun around right when she was about to strike him with the bat and caught it with one hand. Lois wasn't going to go down right away and quickly raised her fist to throw a good punch in his throat when he caught her fist in his big hand. She was read to kick him in the groin and as if he read her mind, he took her hand and spun her around, pinning her back against him while he held the bat against her neck. She struggled against his grip when he spoke in a confused tone in her ear, "Lane?"

Her body stiffened at the sound of his voice in her ear. Her eyes widened as Lois began to breathe heavily. _That voice,_ she thought in her head. That voice that was always ringing in her ears, in her dreams, the voice she painfully yearned to hear again. She stood frozen in place, frozen in his arms. This was a dream. This can't be real. The man with the eerily familiar voice loosened his grip on her and stepped away. Lois continued to stand frozen with her eyes wide open, staring at nothing. Her eyes became glossy as that voice continued to ring in her ear. It sounded so real. Too real. She stood frozen in place, not moving a muscle; she didn't even notice the lights had been turned on, she continued to stand there. In complete and utter shock. This wasn't real. She was hearing things. Right?

_Five minutes ago_

In a flash of white light, Clark Luthor stumbled forward and fell to the ground on his face. He slowly regained himself and realized he was lying on an aging oak wood floor. Groaning in pain from the sudden teleportation ride, he slowly stood up, and brushed himself off. What the hell just happened? One minute he was fooling around with some girl he met at the club and the next minute, he's taken away in a white light. It was a familiar kind of white light. He felt like he had been teleported like that before, years ago, back when he was out for vengeance against his illegitimate father. It was a completely different kind of world. One where his other version was apparently some kind of hero. He smirked to himself at the thought of that. There's no way the mirror box still existed, it was destroyed in his world by Lionel so it was impossible for their worlds to collide again. And if it could then the person who activated it had to be seriously deranged. The last time he was here, he was out for blood against Lionel, he wanted him to be erased so that he could finally live his life. Many had gotten in the way in that world. He didn't even succeed as he was sucked back into his world and evidently Lionel was there to torture him again with green kryptonite. After that, he felt truly defeated, truly weak and vulnerable in which his last hope of being free from Lionel's tight rope had failed and he had to live a few more years under his control while he had to, as his father would say, 'pay for his sins with no possibility of repentance' until the day the old man finally drew his last breath. Clark was surprised that after all of that, Lionel still handed down all of his assets to the son who had tried to kill him. Just as well, Lex was dead and Tess was a train wreck in heels, his only hope of handing down the Luthor legacy was Clark. As all those thoughts ran through his mind, Clark continued to stare around his surroundings. This looked like some sort of suburban house. He suddenly picked up footsteps coming from behind him as he tilted his head to listen to the heartbeat of the person who was starting to creep up from behind. Clark smirked; clearly whoever brought him here did not know about his abilities to try attacking him with anything but Kryptonite. If this was supposed to be a trap for him, then that person was in for quite the wake up call. Once he heard the person draw another breath, raising their weapon in the air, he super sped around and grabbed the weapon before it hit him which was surprisingly a baseball bat. He had to laugh at the balls they had to strike him with something as absurd as a bat. He could tell by the size of the wrist he was holding a woman as she tried to punch him. He grabbed her fist effortlessly and spun her around, trapping her flush against his chest. She struggled against him as he took a good look at her face in the dark. Clark had to admit the girl had fight in her. His brows furrowed once he recognized who it was, "Lane?" He asked with utter confusion. What did she do? How did she get him to this house? He knew for a fact Lois Lane doesn't live in a ratty old farm house. He felt her body stiffen against him once he spoke and she stopped breathing altogether. Did she recognize it was him? Was she shocked he had found her secret house or something? He let go of her as he let the bat drop to the floor which made a loud noise to which Lois made no effort to flinch at. She didn't even move. If he didn't know any better he would've thought she had become a statue. He waited for her to turn around and say something, but she continued to stand still with her back facing him. He could hear her pulse racing like crazy. What was going through her head? He turned around to look for a light switch, and once he did, he saw that she still made no effort to move. Clark thought maybe she went into shock. He was the one who was suspiciously transported to this house which Lois Lane suspiciously found him in and began to attack him first. Was this a trap? Was this her revenge for firing her? He waited until she said anything. Raising his eyebrows he called her name again, "Lane"

Lois blinked at the sound of his voice again. Suddenly she found a way to breathe again as she exhaled softly. Her eyes became glossier as she was too afraid to turn around. It took all the will power in the world to turn her head to the side and see the tall, dark figure of a man from her peripheral vision. Slowly and very carefully, Lois found a way to move her body to fully face him. Right there. Right when she saw him, something in her came alive again and she stopped breathing. If it was possible, her eyes widened even more. It was him. That voice. It was him. The same dark wavy hair, the same piercing blue eyes. It was him. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth. She must be dreaming. This wasn't real. Slightly shaking her head, a tear silently fell down her cheek as he stared back at her with his dark brows furrowed together and analyzing her movement. Lois slowly took a step towards him, and then another. Her hands were trembling when she reached out for him and he took a small step back. He was convinced she had gone insane. She continued to take another step closer to him and this time he didn't retreat as he watched her trembling hand reach for him. Her fingers lightly brushed his arm, and soon her hand ran up his bicep, and towards his chest. He stood uncomfortably when she rested her hand to where his heart was, feeling the thumping of his heart against the palm of her hand. It felt...warm. Lois sighed as the tears continued to fall down her cheeks. She looked back up at his blue eyes, which stared back at her hazel ones. She finally found her voice, "C-Clark?" He flinched at the way she said his name. She had never called him Clark before. It was always Mr. Luthor. She made sure he knew he was a Luthor. She never looked past that name. No one did. This one was saying it as if she was whispering an angel's name. What's gotten into her? He didn't notice when her hands came up to his face and she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely, he was taken aback by the sudden warmth that was emitting from her embrace. She fit into his body perfectly, he could smell her scent, he wasn't sure what was happening, "It's really you!" She said in a husky tone as she cried into him. He was real. He was really standing in front of her.

He had enough of it. This compassion. It wasn't Lois Lane. This was some sick twisted game she was playing. Clark put his hands on her hips and pushed her back. She opened her eyes, hurt by the distance he created between them and tried to come closer, but Clark continued to push her away, which confused her, "I don't know what the hell has gotten into you Lane, but you're going to have to do better than that if you want revenge against me for firing you."

Now it was Lois' turn to furrow her brows, she was utterly dumbfounded, "Fired? What are you talking about?"

Clark scoffed, "Either you've gone mentally insane for losing your job, or you're a very good liar. Either way, it was really stupid of you for kidnapping me into this house, however you did it and then try and play this game on me when operation 'kill Clark Luthor with a bat' failed. I've gone through this with many other people and they tend to fall hard on that plot. I would've thought you learned from watching your ex-husband pay for trying to cross my path."

Lois stood there wide eyed, she was in complete shock. Clark Luthor? It worked. The mirror box worked. Clark Luthor, a man who had once tried to kill her for crossing his path and working with Tess against him while he was on a vendetta to kill Lionel, was standing in front of her once again. It didn't process as much that Clark _Luthor_ was in her home, only the fact that Clark was standing in front of her. A man with a dark past, but the soul of the man she loved dearly was standing before her once again. She didn't know what to expect when she activated that mirror box, but it worked, and Clark was here. Her husband was here. And that's all she needed. She knew she should've just told him the truth, but something in her told her that would only push him away, and that was the last thing she wanted. She took a deep breath and started to talk, trying to make sense of all of this, "I-I don't know what you're talking about right now. But I am not the one who brought you here." She held up her hand in front of her to gesture to him that she meant no harm. Lois wasn't sure how to twist this story, but all she knew was that he was here and she wasn't ready to let him go yet.

"How the hell did you manage to teleport me all the way here? Were you plotting this with Oliver to try and kill me? Was the whole merger a decoy to catch me off guard?" His temper was beginning to boil up, and a deep hidden hurt in him that everywhere he turns, there's always someone there to try and destroy him. All he wanted was to be left alone.

Lois so badly wanted to know what he was talking about, what place she had in Clark Luthor's life in the other world. She looked into his eyes. She hadn't looked into those blue eyes in over a year and now, here he was and all she wanted to do was run into his arms and kiss him. But he wouldn't let her even come close to him. All she can do is explain why he's here and hope for the best, but that didn't mean he had to know the whole truth, "You're here... because the mirror box had been activated in this world." She struggled to continue as he stared back at her, "I-I don't know how or who brought you here... but you're not in your world anymore."

Clark's lips parted as he took a step back, so his hunch was right, "What?" He exclaimed in a stern tone, through his teeth.

Lois swallowed hard, "You're in Earth-1. This is Clark Kent's world. And I'm... I'm not the Lois from your world."

Clark took a step towards her, startled by the revelation, "You... you mean someone transported me to this world using the mirror box?" Lois simply nodded, as her eyes were filled with tears again, and in a flash he grabbed her roughly by the shoulders as she gasped, "Why the hell was I brought here? Where's the mirror box now?" He was furious, he had just finished making Queen Industries his and he needed to get back there before his father's enemies tried to interfere. Instead he was stuck in some deluded world!

Lois bit her tongue, "I don't know, that's all I can tell you right now..." Her voice trailed off as guilt consumed her for lying to him, but somehow she knew that if he knew it was her who took him away from his world because her Clark had died wouldn't sit well with him.

Clark let go of her and threw his hands in the air, "Well where's this other Clark then? Did he switch with me again?" He scowled at the thought of that man taking his place, "He's going to ruin everything if he's there" He hissed under his breath, knowing Kent was allies with Oliver and Lois, though he didn't know what relationship Lois had with him, he just assumed Oliver and Lois were together in this world too and they were some sort of pathetic superhero team. If Kent was in his world, who knows what he'll do with the new merger. Will he sell it back to Queen? Clark gritted his teeth at the thought of losing what he just gained.

Lois wiped the tear that escaped her eye, "No... He died." She whispered under her breath. But Clark Luthor heard it perfectly, pulling him out of his train of thoughts.

He smirked to himself in relief, "So the boy scout lost his petty little life huh? So much for living with a hero complex."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him, "Clark didn't have a petty life." She simply stated.

"Sure." He said sarcastically, "So tell me why exactly I ended up in _your_ house?" Turning away from her, Clark looked around the house, clearly showing his distaste for the lack of luxury he's so used to. This definitely didn't fit into Lois' personality. At least not the one in his world. Was she some farmer Joe's housewife here? Clark smirked to himself at the thought of that, it definitely didn't suit a gorgeous sophisticated fireball like her.

Lois clasped her hands tightly together, and watched him walking around her home. Their home. She closed her eyes and dipped her head down, biting her trembling lip from breaking down. All she wanted was to see him again. Talk to him again. And now that he's here, she has no idea what to do. He turned back around to face her, waiting for an answer, brows furrowed as to why she looked like she was going to have a sob fest. Lois slowly raised her head to look back at him again, "I can't answer that." She said in a soft whisper.

Clark scoffed, running his fingers through his hair, "That's just perfect." She was completely useless to him. He needed answers and he needed them now. Clearly someone was after him and wants him out of the way from his world. It had to be someone who knew about the mirror box. The only people who knew were Lionel, Oliver and... Clark closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, chuckling to himself, "Of course."

Lois walked up to him, "What?"

"I know exactly who would've done this. I have no doubt about it." He said through his teeth, anger boiling in his veins, when he saw her he was going to shoot fire through her head. How naive can she be? Did she really think she can bring them to another world and live a blissful romantic life? This was in fact her idea in the first place when they found the mirror box, "There's only one person who I know would be capable of using that damn mirror box, Tess." With that, He disappeared right before Lois' eyes, her eyes widened in shock, as she ran towards the flung opened door, and looked out into the night.

She ran back into the house and picked up her cell phone, ready to call Oliver or Chloe, but then she froze. If they found out Clark Luthor was here they would do whatever they can to make her take him back. Or worse, they would try and kill him. Her hand was shaking at the thought of losing him again. Instead of calling the league, she dialed Tess' number, hoping to give her a heads up before he got to her, feeling helpless that she couldn't do anything at this point.

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><p><strong>If some of you are wondering why Lois acted the way she did around clark, she didn't know what to expect when she turned the mirror box, she just did it impulsively. And she didn't tell him it was her who brought him here cause she was scared of how he'd react to that and she knows who she's dealing with, she had to approach him with caution and she's smart enough to do that, but she starting to realize this was a bad idea, but there's a voice in the back of her head that's saying "But this is clark. Clark is standing in front of you. Alive and well." She needs that right now and so that's going to cause a conflict within her. Stay tuned for the next chapter I'll be updating very soon:)<strong>


	12. Soldier

**Heyy guys sorry for the long delay in updates I've been real busy but I've managed to finish editing this chapter so enjoy:)!**

**Thank you all so much for your reviewss I thank each and every one you of you took the time to leave a comment and read my fic I hope I don't dissapoint you guys:)! Don't be shy let me know if you love or hate this chapterr and any other commentss:D! Have a good readd;)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 12: Soldier- Gavin DeGraw<strong>

_**Afraid of what they might lose. Might get scraped or they might get bruised. You could beg then, what's the use? That's why it's called a moment of truth.**_

_Luthor Mansion_

Tess was up late at the Luthor mansion, in her office, as she looked over the plans for the next power plant to be created. She continued to look over the profiles, sipping on her wine as the room was dark except for the light from the fireplace emitting through the room. She wasn't a big celebrator when it came to New Years. The league had invited her to go party with them but she had respectfully declined. She didn't really believe in New Years, saying it was just another day, nothing special, there was no use in creating a resolution when no one really follows through. And so she stayed up working on the plans for her next project. Suddenly her phone started buzzing against the glass surface of her desk, looking down at it, her brows furrowed as she saw it was Lois was calling her. Why would she be calling her at two in the morning? She was about to pick up, when the fire from the fireplace suddenly went out. Her eyes went to the fireplace as the room was now pitch black. She blinked a couple of time as she made out the shadow of her furniture. Ignoring the call from Lois, Tess cautiously stood up and reached under her desk for her gun.

"You won't be needing that sis." She froze at the sound of the masculine voice echoing through the room. Her eyes widened as she quickly pulled out the gun and pointed it out in front of her, walking backwards in the darkness.

"Who's there?" She heard utter silence, the sound of her own breathing filling the room. When she didn't hear a reply, she pointed the gun straight ahead and pulled the trigger, hoping she hit him. Nothing but silence. She lowered her gun and once she did, in a split second, she was pinned against the wall, gasping for breath as a large hand was clutching her neck. She clawed at the hand wrapping around her fragile neck. The man was too strong and didn't flinch at any of her hits.

She continued to struggle against his grasp as the man came closer to her ear and spoke, in a low tone, "I told you not to get in my way Tess." Tess froze when she heard his voice. _Clark?_ Her brows furrowed in utter confusion as she recognized that voice, "I thought I made it perfectly clear that I have no interest in being with you once daddy dearest finally died. Even after that..." His grip tightened around her neck as Tess felt like she was going to pass out as she tried to gasp for air, trying to loosen his grip on her, "You still decided to use that mirror box" Clark spat out and let her go, stepping back and threw her desk across the room as it smashed against the opposite wall, shattering into pieces along with her laptop with papers flying across the room. Tess fell to the ground, her hand protecting her neck as she tried to regain air into her lungs again. Facing the floor, as she tried to pace her breathing, Tess' heart raced as she never felt more scared in her life. Clark Luthor was back. And he thinks she's his Tess. Perfect. Why does it always have to be her? Clark looked down at her and grew impatient, "Get up Tess!" His voice boomed across the room as she cringed against it. Clark rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm, pulling her to her feet, "Where's the mirror box Tess? Tell me now and I won't kill you for being so stupid."

Tess shook her head; she hadn't seen Clark in over a year. He died. He died a hero. A man who gave her a second chance to redeem her life back and whom she felt forever grateful for. She would've given anything to have him alive again. He was a great friend. Imagine her shock as she saw a man who looked exactly like Clark Kent, but nothing like him, the complete opposite. She shook her head, her voice trembling in fear as she tried so hard to compose herself, to not feel vulnerable against him, "I-I have no idea what you're talking about..." She was shaking as she wanted to create more distance from this monster.

"Don't play games sis-"

"Believe me! I would want nothing more than to get you the hell away from here, but I'm not you're freaking sister! I'm not you're Tess! I'm from this world!" She exclaimed. She wasn't going to act like his Tess again to get answers, that didn't work the first time and she wasn't going to go through it again. "I'm not the one who brought you here! I never used the mirror box!" She watched him as he paced back in forth while Tess watched him in shock, "Y-you died" She said under her breath and he looked up at her, with one eyebrow raised, "I-I can't believe it's you. You died a-and now you're back I don't understand." She took a step away from him, then suddenly remembering this wasn't Clark Kent. She shouldn't be surprised he came back from the dead, because he didn't. This was his evil side, not Clark Kent, not Superman. Shaking out of her thoughts, Tess tried to take control of the situation, reminding herself of who she was facing, "What are you doing here?" She said in a cold tone.

Clark refrained from rolling his eyes, "That's what I'd like to know." He spat out, "One minute I'm in Metropolis and the next minute Lane is attacking me with a bat in her little farmhouse!"

"Farmhouse? You met Lois?" Tess' eyes widened as she looked down at the floor to where her phone was.

She watched Clark pacing back and forth, not paying attention to her, she slowly bent down and picked up her phone and started sending out a text, typing as fast as her fingers would let her while Clark was trying to piece the puzzles, "Someone brought me here for a reason. They want me out of the picture, and if my Tess is still in Earth-2..." His voice trailed off as he was deep in thought. Then he smirked to himself, "It's just like Queen to go this far to get his company back. I'm going to find that mirror box Tess." He turned to face her, "And you're going to help me." He sped towards her, and snatched her phone from her hands, "Well well what do we have here." He said as Tess' eyes widened as he read her text.

_Lois, get Chris out of here._

_Someone used the mirror box and Luthor trying 2 find it._

_U can't let him near u he's dangerous leave Smallville. Now!_

Tess watched him wide eyed in panic as Clark read the text. His eyes went back to Tess as he wore a menacing stare. Holding up the phone in front of her he asked, "So who's _Chris_?"

Tess shook her head as she replied, "No one." She said blankly.

Clark chuckled under his breath, "That's a terrible lie Tess. Come on obviously he's very important if you're so worried about his safety right?" He came closer to Tess as she felt his breath on her face, Clark gripped the back of her head, "Tell me who he is. Where is he? Does he have the mirror box?"

"If he did I would gladly lead you to him" She tried to say in a stern tone but her voice shook at the end.

"Then why is it so important that you need Lane to keep him away from me?" He grinned as he saw a flash of fear in her eyes. Suddenly his curiosity got the best of him as the mirror box wasn't his number one priority anymore. He wanted to know who Chris was. And why that would be the first thing Tess would be worried about. Letting go of her, Clark kept Tess' phone, "Fine. If you won't tell me, I'm sure Ms. Lane will have no problem leading me to Chris. I'm going to find him Tess, and when I do I'm sure you all will cooperate and help me get that mirror box."

He started to walk away until Tess spoke again, "W-wait! He doesn't have it I promise you he has nothing to do with this."

"Then what is it?" He watched her for any reaction as he stepped closer to her, only a mere breath away from her.

Tess swallowed hard, "You come into my office and try to strangle me to death to get your precious mirror box and I'm telling you no one is stupid enough to bring you back to our world again. I-I just want them to be safe from you in case you threaten them like you did me. Our Clark isn't here anymore. He died and... Well he's the only one who would know where the mirror box is." She broke eye contact, looking anywhere but at him.

"You're telling me that the only person who would know where the box is dead." Tess nodded and Clark sighed, "Perfect." Tess had a theory. It was a crazy theory. No. Lois would never use it. Someone else must've stolen it. Clark tilted his head and smiled back at Tess, stroking her face with his finger while she cringed against his touch, "Don't worry sis, I'll make sure I make my stay very memorable while you find that mirror box for me."

Tess gritted her teeth and turned her head away from him, "As far as I know Clark Kent is the only one who knows about it." Her face tightening at the possibility that Lois might've done something. Thinking about the fact that the first place this man ended up was in the Kent house.

Clark smirked back at Tess, "You know I can always tell when you're lying Tess. And whoever this Chris is, I'm going to get some answers."

With that he sped off and Tess went into a frenzy panic as she ran to the far wall and pushed a couple of buttons on the keypad which turned the wall over to show a bunch of high tech computers, without wasting any more time in case he decided to come back, Tess started typing vigorously as her hands trembled. Putting on her headset, she looked up at the screen as it lit up, "Watchtower come in! This is Tess Mercer calling in for code names Arrow, Dark Knight, and Super girl."

"_This is Watchtower."_ Chloe said through the computer in a tired tone, _"Tess we were kind of enjoying our New Years Eve night couldn't this wait till the morning?"_

Tess gulped, "This can't wait. We have an emergency and I need your help."

"_What's wrong Tess?"_ Bruce called out, sensing her distress in her voice.

"I need you all to come to Smallville as fast as you can. Kara you need to come to the Luthor mansion, the rest of you get to Watchtower there isn't much time for debriefing please!"

Before Tess can blink, Kara was at her side, "What's going on Tess?" Without another word, everyone else hung up and started to leave for Smallville. As Tess faced her, Kara's eyes widened at the sight of her neck, "What happened to your neck?" Her hand came up to point at her neck.

Tess took off her headset and shrugged away from Kara, "That's not important right now... Well it is but..."

Kara raised her brows, noticing the purple bruising on her neck were in the shape of fingers clawed into her skin, "Tess who did this to you?"

"Look Kara there isn't much time. I need your help. Do you still have that blue kryptonite ring?"

Kara nodded, confused, "The ring Jor-El had created to pass down to Kal-El? I have it-"

"Okay I'm going to need you to get that." Tess interrupted.

"Why do you need it? That ring only works on Kryptonians. Is there a Kryptonian threat?"

Tess looked down, "Sort of." She started rubbing her bruised neck as she spoke again, "This is going to sound crazy but I can't explain this all right now I just need you to trust me and I promise I'll explain everything later but we need to move fast. Lois and Chris could be in danger." Kara looked at her wide eyed and went to go get the ring and came back to see Tess taking out her phone and started dialing a number, waiting in silence until they finally picked up, "Emil, its Tess." As she spoke, Tess went to her drawer and pulled out a led box, "I need your help".

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><p><em>Kent Farm- Smallville<em>

Lois sat at the dining table staring down at her phone as her finger rapidly tapped against the wooden surface of the table. She couldn't sleep, and she never got an answer from Tess which got her so worried. She continued to fiddle with her necklace as she pulled it out and stared back at her diamond ring he had given her years ago. She closed her eyes, bringing the ring to her lips as she remembered how he had proposed to her. He had taken her to all the places where they had their firsts. The places that were so significant in their lives, he told her how important she was to him, and how his world wasn't complete without her. Finally, he brought her to the place where they first met, the cornfield where their journey began. She could remember how happy she felt as he got down in one knee and proposed to her, slipping this very ring on her finger, which marked that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. A life that was cut too short, before it even really began. It had been a full 45 minutes before her front door burst open and she was pulled out of her happy memory. Quickly slipping the necklace back under her shirt, Lois ran to where Clark was standing, and he did not look happy. He said only one thing to her, "Where's Chris?" Narrowing his eyes at her, making sure to note her reaction to the name. If there's one thing his father taught him, it was to be cautious of the emotions shown across someone's face. A person's expression can say it all if you knew how to read them well.

Lois eyes widened as she drew in a deep breath, "W-what. How do you-"

"Enough lying Lane!" He started towards her as she stumbled back, "I want answers! Now who is this Chris and where can I find him?" Clark grabbed her by the arms and pinned her to the wall, slightly shaking her, "He clearly has something to do with the mirror box! I don't know what he plans on doing with me here but I'm not going to just wait around. If he wants something from me, let him face me! Stop protecting him!" He exclaimed through his teeth. Lois looked back up at him with pleading eyes. But there was something else to that look that made him feel unsettling as he loosened his grip on her. Her stare was penetrating right through him. No one has ever looked at him like that before. It was something he couldn't quite describe. Shaking that feeling away, he continued with the task at hand, no longer touching her, "Speak Lane." She opened her mouth, but no words came out. What was she supposed to say? And then, he heard something that made him freeze in place as he looked into Lois' eyes. A noise that gave him a weird feeling from head to toe, a feeling he couldn't describe. Sure he's heard that noise plenty of times in his world, when he was patrolling at night time, he can hear mother's comforting the object of that sound. It shouldn't be giving him this feeling at the pit of his stomach, but for some reason, this was a feeling he couldn't shake off. His brows furrowed as he continued to hear the sound of the crying baby coming from upstairs.


	13. Wonderwall

**Chapter 13: Wonderwall- Oasis/ Ryan Adams**

_**And all the roads we have to walk are winding. And all the lights that lead us there are blinding. There are many things that I would like to say you but I don't know how. Because maybe, you're gonna be the one that saves me. And after all, you're my wonderwall.**_

He watched as Lois closed her eyes as her secret had gotten out. Clark slowly turned his head to look up the stairs towards the room where the cries were coming out of. He looked back at Lois, and took a step back; they stared back at each other in silence for what seemed like forever as the cries continued to echo downstairs. Lois stared back at him and slowly tried to reach out to him. Once she moved her hand, Clark turned away from her and went upstairs with Lois hot on his heels racing up the stairs as he flung open the room where the baby stood, leaning against the crib, wailing out with tears falling down his cheeks, his face flushed pink. Clark stood frozen in place as he watched the baby staring back at him. Once he saw Clark, the wailing stopped. The crying stopped. They simply stared at each other's reflective eyes.

Lois ran into the room and came to a halt behind him; she held her breath as Clark came face to face with her son. His back was facing her as he stared at the baby who had stopped crying once he barged in, but looked at Clark with intrigue. She waited for Clark who didn't move as he continued to stare at the baby. Clark furrowed his brows as he watched the baby stop crying, staring back at him with those eerily familiar piercing blue eyes. He had dark hair, much like his. Tilting his head, he examined the baby and watched as he fell back on his bed, watching the two grownups staring back at him in awe. _Those blue eyes. It can't be_, Clark thought whilst shaking his head. The boy held out his small hands, eyes glancing behind Clark, "Mama!" He squealed out. Clark slowly turned around to face Lois, only just noticing she was standing behind him. He watched her nervously stare back at him.

"He's yours?" Clark asked, hoping not to face the twisted truth. Lois didn't say anything, just silently nodded. Clark narrowed his eyes at her as he spotted the silver chain hanging around her neck. He remembered he saw her holding it when he came inside, but she quickly hid it. What was she hiding? He suddenly strode towards her in one quick movement, which made Lois stumble back, but he stopped her, grabbing the chain, he yanked out the rest of the necklace hiding under her shirt. Lois held her breath as he held up the diamond ring between their faces. He was inches away from her she could feel his body brushing softly against hers. Looking up at him, Clark looked at her with hard eyes, holding up the ring. Turning it over, Clark inspected the engraving written inside.

_L &C Always and Forever_

His lips parted at the initials. It all started to make sense now. The way she reacted to seeing him for the first time. How she talked about the Clark from this world. The way she was reluctant to answer questions properly. Why Tess wrote that message to Lois. It all made sense now. So this was Chris. This was who Tess wanted to protect from him. She was trying to protect him from his... he couldn't finish that thought. Clark's fingers let the ring drop as it hung against Lois' neck. He took a step back and turned to face... him. Their matching blue eyes stared back at each other as Clark put the pieces together. Kent was the only one who knew about the mirror box, but he would also tell his wife wouldn't he? "He's ours..." Clark managed to breathe out so quietly, Lois had to strain to hear him properly. But she heard him.

Lois took a deep breath a walked towards him, slowly bringing her hand up and placed it lightly on his back. Surprisingly, he didn't flinch away from her, "No." She said softly, "He's mine... and Clark Kent's"

That's what managed to snap him out of this sudden shock he was going through. Clark turned to stare back at her and spoke in a stern tone, "We're... you're married to him?" She simply nodded, "And he died." Lois winced at his last words while her eyes moved down to the floorboard; Clark scowled at her, "Unbelievable!" She looked back up at him; his anger began to boil up again. He couldn't be here right now. He can't be here, he can't be in a world where he's a father! Where he has a family! "WHERE'S THE MIRROR BOX LANE!" He spat out, yelling at her face, but she didn't flinch and so he took hold of her wrists, "You're gonna tell me where that box is right now!" All the yelling had made Chris wail out, tears streaming down his face. Clark winced at the sounds of the cries and gritted his teeth, he wasn't supposed to be here! Suddenly he felt a surge of pain going through his body as he fell to the ground, clenching his stomach. He rolled over as the pain got worse. Lois gasped at the sight of him and went to reach for him, but felt her arms being restrained by someone behind her.

She turned around to see Emil standing behind her looking back down at Clark, "Emil! What are you-"

"My god..." Emil said in shock at the sight before him. Lois saw Tess coming into her view holding out green meteor rock towards Clark, walking closer to him.

Lois started to panic as her son started to cry harder, screaming at the top of his lungs, "TESS GET THE HELL AWAY FROM HIM! YOU'RE HURTING HIM! GET AWAY!" She yanked her arms out of Emil's grasp and fought with Tess; she grabbed her arm clawed the rock away from her and threw it out of the room.

"Lois! Where are you going? We need to use that don't you see he's dangerous!" Suddenly, Tess felt Clark grabbing hold of her arm roughly as well as Emil's and shoved them out of the room as they both dove to the floor in front of the stair case. Emil's head hit the floor, leaving a bruise on his forehead as he struggled to get up. Clark closed the door behind him, but not before taking one more glance back, making sure the baby was okay, until he turned to face them again. He was ready to attack the two intruders when he was struck again by the effects green rock as he fell to his knees, ready to hurl. It was Emil who held out a rock this time, but this time it was a shard he took out from the pocket of his trench coat, and it made Clark furious how something so little can hurt him this much, he felt pathetic as he ground his teeth together, rolling against the floor, breathing hard as he felt like he was being struck by a thousand knives. Sure this was nothing compared to how Lionel used to make him endure the pain from the kryptonite... but it all hurt just the same.

"Emil stop it please!" Lois pleaded going towards Clark, but Tess pulled her back, "You're killing him!"

Tess ignored her as she yelled out, "Kara we're ready!"

Lois saw Kara speed up the stairs in front of Clark wide eyed, "By Rao!" She gasped out, "It really is you..." She stood frozen as she stared down at her formerly deceased cousin, blurring out all other noise.

"Kara! Now!" Tess exclaimed, she knew they couldn't wait. Kara snapped out of it and nodded as she came closer to Clark; kneeling towards him she held out her hand and slowly pulled out the blue ring. Once she was in the vicinity of the kryptonite Emil was holding, Kara suddenly hurled forward, yelping in pain, and feeling the effects of the kryptonite. Her hand trembled as she forcefully took Clark's hand while he tried to pull away from her.

"W-what are you doing?" Clark managed to yelp out, but Kara didn't respond as she slipped the ring on his finger. Once she did so, Clark didn't feel any more pain from the Kryptonite, Kara however, was lying on the floor, unable to withstand the pain any longer, but suddenly felt a sigh of relief as Emil put the shard back into his pocket.

Clark laid on his back against the floor, looking up at the ceiling, while beads of sweat swam down his face. Trying to control his breathing, he could hear Lois' voice in a soft whisper, she took one step closer to him, stunned at what had happened in the past 30 seconds. Blinking a few times, Lois turned towards Tess and walked over to her until they were right at each other's faces. Both wore a cold stare back at each other and Lois felt like ripping her head off, "What the hell were you thinking?" She said through her teeth.

Tess brows shot up, taken aback, "I was thinking rationally Lane! I did what was necessary and took his powers away until we could find the mirror box and send this bastard away! A thank you would've sufficed."

"Thank you? I don't owe you anything Tess you weren't thinking when you came into my house with green k while my son was close by! Did you think about him while you were just flinging that around? It can kill Chris!" Lois exclaimed in Tess' face.

"I _was_ thinking about your son's safety when Clark Luthor came into my home and tried to kill me! That was the first thing on my mind and if that meant I had to take drastic measures to ensure both his and your safety then so be it! I don't need your gratitude Lois."

"I'm not offering it Tess! You can't just barge in here and inflict pain on my family!"

Tess jaw dropped and she gave a humourless chuckle, "Oh is that what you're calling him now? Unlike you, I did what was necessary."

Lois ignored her comment, "I was handling it before you came in here."

"No Lois you were taming it! I took precaution to this monster that is a killing machine and you were naive enough to let him near Chris! Who is Clark KENT'S son. I bet you didn't take that into consideration when you opened that mirror box and brought him into our world!"

Lois stood silent for a good minute while Tess' breathing hitched from her outburst. Lois swallowed hard, taken aback, "What are you talking about..." She breathed out.

Rolling her eyes Tess moved her hair out of her face, "Oh don't play dumb now, it doesn't take a genius to realize who brought him here and who had more reason to." She tilted her head, "The more I think about it, the more believable it's becoming..." Tess continued to speak in a low tone so that only Lois heard, "I never thought you could do this Lois. I thought you were smarter than this." Tess gave Lois a disappointed look.

"What I do in my personal life is none of your business!"

Tess came closer to Lois, "It is when it's something this big! When you do something like this it's not just your business anymore it becomes all of ours and we put the safety of the world before our own personal needs and you know it. You would think being married to Clark you would've learned-" Tess was cut off by Lois.

Pointing a finger at her, Lois spoke in a stern tone, "Don't ever talk to me about my responsibilities to the world. You have no right making a judgement call on my choices. You have no idea-"

"ENOUGH! BOTH OF YOU!" Emil exclaimed, stepping in between the two women as they gave each other cold glares. "This is not what's important right now. We need to get Clark Luthor to Watchtower, everyone's there."

Her eyes snapped to Emil, "You called everyone? What are you going to do with him?"

Emil turned to Lois and took a deep breath, "Well not everyone, just Chloe, Oliver, and Bruce."

"Perfect" Lois said under her breath, "The mighty trio is waiting to give me shit about this."

"They don't know what's going on but don't hold your breath. They're most likely to form the same opinion I have about you." Lois glared at Tess who then asked in a stern tone, ignoring her glare, "Where is the mirror box Lois?"

Lois shook her head, turning away and watched Kara kneeling next to Clark who was finally recovering from the kryptonite.

He slowly started to sit up when he felt a hand on his shoulders, forcing him down, unable to fight against the force of those hands. Turning his head up, he saw a woman with bright blonde curly hair, and ocean blue eyes similar to his. She was looking down at him with concern, "You should sit back, take it easy Ka-" She stopped talking abruptly and Clark had no idea why, it seemed like she mixed up his name with someone else. Clearing her throat, Kara smiled down at him, "Clark." Clark shoved his arm away from her and quickly stood up, ignoring her compassion towards him. Looking down at the ring, he noticed the liquid blue line streaming around the silver band.

Clark huffed, glaring at the blonde, "You really think this is going to keep my powers bound?" Smirking he started to pull the ring off his finger, but it was stuck in place for some reason. "What the hell?" His brows furrowed as he tried again, with all his force, he pulled so hard he was surprised his finger didn't fall off. Breathing hard he stared back at the blonde who put the ring on him, "What is this! What did you do you bitch!"

Kara raised her brow and turned her head to see Tess, Lois and Emil behind him, turning her head back to face Clark... or what looked like him, she spoke in a calm manner, "This is a blue kryptonite ring, it's a special kind which isn't just a ring, the kryptonite is embedded into your skin and flows through your bloodstream. It binds your powers, and keeps you mortal. No human can take it off, only someone with Kryptonian powers would be able to take it off. Which you don't have anymore... which is pretty much the point of it being worn by a Kryptonian." Kara shrugged.

Clark slowly blinked and gritted his teeth, "Want a bet?" He raised his fist and slammed it hard against the wall behind him. Everyone except Kara jumped at the outburst. Pain surged through his knuckles as he stumbled back, clutching his hand with his good one, wincing in pain, and swearing to no end. He stared up at the hole in the wall, slowly extending his broken hand, he saw his knuckles bleeding, which looked so unusual given the fact that his hand made no effort to heal itself. The ring remained unharmed, not a single crack. His hand started to shake in rage as he tried to claw the ring off his finger, yelling out. "ARGHHH! I will find a way to get this piece of shit off of me and when I do I'm going to fry that little face of yours into ash!"

Kara's lips parted as she spoke to the group, ignoring him, she shook her head in astonishment, "This is crazy. I've never heard anything like this." She turned to Emil, "He looks exactly like... Kal-El... And yet... he's nothing like him."

Clark straightened up and gave Kara a questioning look. Kal-El? Why did she just call him that?

"That's cause he's not Clark, Kara. He's a monster from another world. One that's nothing like ours." Tess said as she watched Lois from the corner of her eyes who kept her eyes on Clark.

Emil stepped towards Lois and put his hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him. He gave her a warm smile and asked, "Where's the mirror box Lois?"

Lois stared back at him for a long moment, Tess put her hands on her hips, growing impatient by the second and Kara kept silent, giving her time. Lois' mouth opened to speak as she let out a deep breath, "I don't know." She breathed out. Emil blinked, and Lois swallowed hard, running her fingers through her hair, "When I activated the mirror box... I was bathed with this white light, and then I passed out on my bed." She shook her head, "I-I thought it was going to transport me to his world... but he ended up here." She said quietly. It was the first time Clark looked at her since he was attacked, and he saw her vulnerability. He could sense she felt guilty for bringing him here, but there was something deeper in it... maybe she was still glad he was here? There was something in her eyes which noted she didn't regret what she did, but it went away once her attention went to Emil.

Emil spoke up, "Maybe it's still in your room? Maybe you dropped it when you passed out?"

Lois shook her head, "I didn't see it anywhere in the room. I... I don't know maybe it disappeared?"

Tess huffed and turned to Kara, "You should probably x-ray the room to make sure it's not there. And then maybe the entire house. Maybe she unconsciously put it somewhere else in the house." She said with a drop of sarcasm in her tone.

Kara narrowed her eyes at her, "Don't mock her Tess. If she doesn't know, then I believe her."

"She's right Kara." Emil said softly, "It's a possibility there might've been a memory lapse between the points where she activated the box and when she passed out. We can't rule out any scenarios." Kara sighed and nodded, using her x-ray vision; she squinted through the walls and found no signs of the mirror box.

Suddenly she disappeared as she super sped around the house and came back in 10 seconds shaking her head, "It's not here. I checked everywhere including the barn." Lois rubbed the side of her neck. Clark huffed in frustration. This was perfect, with the mirror box missing, he could be here for god knows how long! If he had his powers back he would be raiding this entire house for it.

Emil sighed, "Alright well I guess we should just bring him to Watchtower and figure out how to deal with this. We need to debrief the team, they're probably wondering what the hell is going on." Tess and Kara nodded, "So Kara you'll bring him?"

"I'm not going anywhere with you people! Even without my powers I'm still strong enough to murder you all if you try to keep me as a prisoner and I won't hesitate to start with you sis!" Clark said in a threatening tone.

Tess spat out through her teeth, "Trust me Mr. Luthor you won't have a choice in this you're not the only Kryptonian in this room!" Clark blinked at that revelation. He was in too much pain to notice Kara was being infected by the Kryptonite before but his memory was becoming clearer now. She reacted the same way he did around it. He stood there speechless. Kara was about to approach him when Lois' eyes went to each person as she stepped towards Kara and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, I'm coming with you guys." Kara stopped and turned to Lois, who saw her pleading eyes. She took a deep breath and turned back to Emil and Tess.

"Lois-" Emil started, but was cut off by Lois.

"I'm the one who brought him here. So I should be involved with what you're going to do with him. You can't just plan what you're going to do to him behind my back. I don't want you to hurt him."

"Oh so now it's us who shouldn't be trusted?" Tess asked with raised eyebrows.

Ignoring Tess, Lois turned to Kara, "Kara please."

After a moment, Kara replied, "Lois even if you can come, what are you going to do with Christopher. I don't think he should come to Watchtower, he shouldn't have to be around... him."

Tears pooled in Lois' eyes, but she refused to let them fall, looking up at the ceiling. Emil watched her sympathetically, he knew how hard this was on Lois and he felt for her and suddenly he was reminded back to a time when he lost his wife. "I'll stay." All three women stared back at him in surprise, "I'll take care of Chris and you four will go to Watchtower."

"Emil that's absurd we need you to be there." Tess said.

Emil shook his head, "You have all the information to debrief them about the mirror box. You don't really need me there so I'll stay with Chris and Kara can take you, Clark and Lois."

Tess shook her head in disbelief but kept quiet on her opinion about this. Kara nodded, "Alright. We'll fill you in on everything when we get back."

Emil nodded, "I'll be waiting."

Lois walked up to Emil and smiled, "Thank you." She slightly turned her head to see Clark, who stared her down with cold eyes. Eyes full of hatred towards her, turning back towards Emil, she said softly, "Please take care of my boy."

Emil nodded, "You have a lot of explaining to do Lois. I just hope Chloe, Oliver... and Bruce will be able to understand you like I do." Lois nodded, looking down. Emil grabbed her shoulders which made her look up, "Good luck."

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><p><strong>Soooo what did you thinkkk;)<strong>

**We haven't even gotten to the core of the story yett lol this is still just getting near the end of the begginning part of the storyy warning this is going to be a longgg journeyyy soo i hope you guys have the patience for thatt:) Thank you soo much for your comments I love the intensity and how you're getting into it. I'm glad you're loving me bringing Clark Luthor into this storyy this plotline has been bugging me for quite some time and it's just now taking shapee:) Keep a light mind in Tess' attitude towards Lois I know she's being a bitch but CL just almost strangled her to death so she's pretty rattled loll:P You know the drill pleasee revieww:D! Love you all3! Stay tuned for more updatess next part: Lois and Clark Luthor come face to face with Chloe Oliver and Bruce... uh ohh:S**


	14. Echo

_Thank you all so much for your reviewss againn you guys are awesomee I'm glad you're liking the lois and CL dynamic and it's going to be quite a journey and tranformation for both of them once they start to coexist with each other. And to Amy, I know it's pretty weird that Lois chooses to defend Clark Luthor who's is a killer, but I've chosen to create a background story for him to which I hope the readers will start to understand the reason why he is the way he is. I hope you continue to read the story Amy and understand both Lois and Clark Luthor's purpose of this story and I would say that this is in fact a mixture of a Lois+CL and Lois+CK story but I plan on writing this story with as much depth into a CK+LL story because at the end of the day, Lois acted out of her love for CK, and I enlighten the readers more about why she doesn't regret her decision for bringing CL as it still connects to CK by the end of this chapter. Warning this is a very long chapter I'm sorry I made it really long I did not expect to write this much in one chapter so I'm pretty sure you guys are going to have to take breaks in between, grab some food, and enjoy the next chapter in this installment:D Please review and let me know how I'm doing so far I can tell you guys are really interested and that makes me really happy and more motivated I have a bunchh of ideas for this fic and your encouraging reviews are inspiring so thanks for your awesomeness:)3!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 14: Echo- Jason Walker<strong>

_**Listen, listen. I will take a whisper if that's all you have to give. But it isn't, isn't, you could come and save me and try to chase it crazy right out of my head. I'm out on the edge and I'm screaming my name like a fool at the top of my lungs. Sometimes when I close my eyes I pretend I'm all right but it's never enough. Cause my echo, echo, is the only voice in my head. My shadow, shadow, is the only friend that I have. I don't wanna be down and I just wanna feel alive again and get to see your face again.**_

_Watchtower_

"I'm worried... Oh god what's going on? Did Tess forget about us or something, what's taking her so long? UGH I'm going crazy over here!" Chloe said for the fifteenth time since they arrived at Watchtower. She had been pacing around while Bruce was sitting on the couch, his leg bouncing up and down while Oliver was standing near Chloe while on his blackberry. Chloe sighed, throwing her hands in the air, "What the hell is taking them so long? Tess called this 911 meeting and it's been like an hour!"

Oliver put his phone away and gently grabbed Chloe by the shoulder, "Hey Hun you have to calm down. Now I know how much you hate being the one left in the dark but I'm sure Tess has a good explanation."

"I know she does, why else would she call us at 2 in the morning on New Years? This is bad Ollie. I may not know what this is about... but I can already tell it's nothing good." Oliver gave her a small comforting smile while stroking his hands up and down her arms.

"Why do you think she had to go to Smallville?" Chloe and Oliver turned towards Bruce as he continued to think out loud, "Do you think it had something to do with Lois... what if something happened to her?"

Chloe shook her head at him, "The last time I spoke to Lois, she was ready for bed here in Metropolis I doubt she managed to get herself into trouble all the way in Smallville."

Oliver raised his brow at her, "I'm sorry but are we talking about the same Lois Lane here? The woman has a knack for getting herself into trouble. It's either she has to either explain to the press how she escaped from being captured or had to use her army brat moves from getting shot in the head by the time we find her."

Bruce stood up and looked out the window in silence, anxious and worried at the same time. Chloe and Oliver looked back at each other, noting the compassionate worry their friend was having over Lois. Chloe encouraged Oliver as he walked up to Bruce, "Hey." Bruce turned as Oliver gripped his shoulder, "I'm sure Lois is sleep and sound at home. And once this whole mess is sorted out... whatever it is... you can go see her and have a nice breakfast together." Bruce nodded, still feeling unsure this has nothing to do with Lois. Why would it be so important for Tess to be in Smallville?

Suddenly hearing a beeping sound, Chloe picked up her tablet as the light at the elevator continued to flash red, "They're here you guys..." She opened up the security footage and raised her brow, "Looks like your instincts were right Bruce. Tess didn't come alone." Bruce and Oliver turned to Chloe, who was watching a screen. To their surprise, Tess and Lois were standing in the elevator, waiting to be let in. Chloe rushed to type in the password as the elevator doors opened and Tess entered with Lois not far behind. All three rushed towards them with an anxious look on their faces. They noticed the tension between the two women which unsettled Chloe. She stepped towards Lois, "Hey cuz what are you doing here?" She walked up to her cousin and embraced her in a warm hug. It felt good to be comforted at this moment and Chloe felt Lois squeeze her even tighter and right then, she knew this involved Lois more than anything. "Is everything okay?" She whispered in her ear. Lois slightly shook her head against her cousin. Chloe closed her eyes, expecting the worst, "Where's Chris?" She asked in a shaky tone.

Lois pulled away, and Chloe noticed her glossy eyes and her heart started to race, "He's fine, he's home in Smallville sleeping, Emil's taking care of him." Chloe felt herself relax a little at the reassurance.

Bruce furrowed his brows, "Hold on, what's going on you guys? Is this why you had to go to Smallville Tess? You had to get Lois?"

"Lo I thought you were here in Metropolis when I called you? When did you drive to Smallville? And since when did you let Emil babysit your son?" Chloe asked perplexed.

"Tess..." Oliver started, "Mind telling us what's going on? Why did you bring Lois?"

Tess turned her head to stare at Lois who kept her eyes on Chloe, gripping her hand. Chloe squeezed it back, she knew whatever it was, Lois needed her, "Oh it involves Lois alright..." Tess spoke up, biting the inside of her cheek.

"Well don't leave us hanging!" Bruce exclaimed, growing impatient.

"Lois..." Chloe brought her hand up to her cheek as Lois' eyes met hers, "What's wrong?"

Lois backed away from her cousin and turned away from the group, wrapping her arms around herself, "S-Something happened tonight... something I did that you're not going to be proud of."

Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose, "Oh legs... what did you do? Oh more so what did you get yourself into this time?"

"Well Lois has gotten all of us into a bit of a sticky situation..." Tess said as she walked over to one of the monitors.

"What kind of situation?" Bruce asked, as he squinted his eyes at Tess while she walked over to the security monitor and swallowed hard as none of them were facing the screen except her.

Tess cleared her throat, "They're here." She said, addressing more to Lois. Lois swallowed hard and took a deep breath, bracing herself as Tess opened the elevator doors. Chloe, Bruce, and Oliver turned to see Kara walking out, into Watchtower.

"He tried to get away when I dropped you and Lois off, but he didn't get far given the fact that he's only mortal now." Kara said to Tess, she turned to face Lois and gave her a quick smile.

"Who are you talking about?" Chloe asked, watching Kara and Lois closely.

"Yeah you guys need to stop being cryptic and just spit it out. Why are we all here?" Oliver asked in an irritated tone.

Once he stopped talking, they heard footsteps and saw the figure walking out of the elevator and all three stared shell shocked. Chloe's jaw dropped as she held her breath, Oliver went wide-eyed and speechless. Bruce stood behind the rest, his lips parted at the sight; he stood frozen in place, unable to move as he watched Clark walk into Watchtower. Chloe shook her head slightly, "It can't be..." She breathed out.

Clark stood before the group as he put his hands into the pockets of his black Armani pants and stared back in amusement at the people who coexisted in this world. Smirking at the group, "Well well... I should've known Oliver Queen would be involved in some sort of conspiracy with Wayne here." His eyes went to Chloe and raised his brow as he stepped closer to her, rolling his eyes at the shocked expression he was getting from everyone tonight, "I know you..." He spoke in a low tone. Chloe blinked; surprised at the way he was talking. As if she was a stranger. Tears flowed in her eyes at the sight of her best friend standing before her alive and well. Clark continued at analyze her, "You're Chloe Sullivan... reporter of the small town high school paper." He chuckled humourlessly, "You used to try and exploit my father many times... and failed." He smirked back at her, "Surprised to see you alive in this world" His eyes went behind her to the rest of the group, "And apparently a part of this cult?"

Chloe opened her mouth to try to say something, but nothing came out, her breath caught in her throat as she felt like she was going to pass out. Clark was alive. He's alive. But how?

Oliver raised his brow, letting reality sink in and quickly understood who this man was the second he mentioned 'exploit' and 'father' in the same sentence. He turned to face Tess, "You've got to be kidding me!" Tess shook her head, wearing a disappointed look. Oliver rushed towards Chloe, putting himself in between her and Clark in a defensive stance, pulling her a few feet away from Clark as she continued to look dumbfounded at Clark, "Chloe... this isn't Clark!" Chloe snapped out of her shock and focused on what Oliver was saying, "This isn't Clark Kent... This is Clark Luthor."

Bruce managed to move his feet towards them, still in a state of shock as he couldn't believe what had just gone on in the past 10 seconds, "Clark... Luthor? I don't understand." He managed to choke out.

They were interrupted by Clark's whistling jive as he turned to scan where he was, "Impressive hideout... I'm especially impressed with the fact that it's still in one piece after what I did to it the last time we were here." He gave an evil grin towards Oliver.

Oliver tightened his grip on Chloe out of protective instinct, but Tess' voice reassured them all, "Don't worry, we bound his powers with blue kryptonite. He can't hurt us... well he can try but it won't do him any good now that we're on the same playing field." She got a death glare from Clark to which she smirked back at.

Oliver's anger was boiling up, remembering the last encounter they had with him here; he clenched his jaw as he spoke to Tess in a stern tone, "Mind explaining how the hell this could happen again?"

Tess' eyes moved behind Oliver, "Why don't you ask Lois."

All three of them turned to face Lois, who glared back at Tess. Bruce walked towards Lois and gently placed his hand on her arm. Clark took notice of the gesture and something stirred inside of him as he wanted to turn away from the sight. Lois looked up at Bruce as he stared back at her, confused, "What's she talking about Lo?"

Clark rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, "He has a nickname for you too huh." Kara took a quick glance back at him, as she was the only one who heard him and raised her brow at him, watching him thoughtfully. When he caught her staring at him, she quickly turned away focusing her attention to the situation at hand.

Chloe still stared back at Clark wide-eyed, and tears ready to fall down her cheeks as she leaned against Oliver, her knees giving up on her as she let everyone's words sink in. It wasn't Clark. This isn't Clark... but the replica was uncanny.

Lois took a deep breath and looked behind him towards Clark. They locked eyes for a long moment before she answered Bruce, "I activated the mirror box."

Chloe's jaw dropped, as she pulled away from Oliver, managing to remember how to walk again and approached Lois, "The mirror box? The mirror box you and Ollie told me about? How there's another Clark who was found by the Lionel instead and tried to kill you all? This is him?"

Lois shifted her weight from one leg to the other as she nodded her head, "Yeah." Bruce took a couple steps away from her, taken aback by her confession. Lois watched everyone's faces staring back at her. She felt like the odd duckling in the clan as they looked at her as if she was a stranger to them.

Oliver sighed, "Oh Lois..." As Chloe wiped a tear from her cheek and took a deep breath, shaking her head to herself.

"Wait I don't understand... What's a mirror box?" Bruce asked.

Tess was the one who answered him, "It's a piece of Kryptonian technology that allows humans and Kryptonians to travel between two worlds, Earth-1 and Earth-2."

Bruce raised his brow, "Earth-2? What is that?"

Taking a deep breath Tess opened her mouth to speak but was cut off, "It's where I'm from. A better version of this world where I'm a Luthor and not some country side farm boy with a delusional hero complex." All eyes turned to look back at Clark Luthor, who was twirling his gold ring around his pinky.

Bruce glared at Clark, "I don't know you, but I can tell you the only thing delusional is the fact that you think of yourself as a Luthor."

Clark smirked back at Bruce, tilting his head, "You know... I understand how Queen here would team up with Earth-1 Clark, being Green Arrow and all, my beloved sister since she just can't keep away from me no matter what kind of universe we're in, and Blondie here is somehow... my kind" Kara smirked back at Clark, "I can piece together everyone's purpose in this place you call Watchtower... but why exactly are you here Wayne?" Bruce kept silent as Clark continued, "I've been trying to figure this out myself. Why are you so important that they need your help saving the world one kitten at a time?"

Chloe stepped in, composed from her shock, giving Clark a stern look, "Bruce is an important asset to us. You don't need to know our positions in our world. You won't be staying long." She figured it was important for Bruce to keep his alter ego a secret from this Clark in case he uses it against him when he gets back to Earth-2. He must know as little as possible about them, Chloe and the team had to be smart about this to protect themselves.

Clark gave her an amused smile, which soon turned into a cold stare, "Well, I'm surprised this version of me would team up with a group of underdogs who aren't even close to the same league as I am."

Smirking, Chloe spoke in a low tone, "Careful what you wish for Mr. Luthor, I just might call in the rest of our underdogs to show you exactly why Clark Kent was a part of this team."

"And I'm not sticking around to see any more of you morons so be doll and shut your mouth." He turned to Kara, "Take this ring off me and the rest of you can sit here in your cave while I go find that mirror box and get out of this sad, boring excuse of an alternate universe."

"Trust me Clark, you're going to be shackled to that ring until we find that box and I will bring you to your world myself and then and only then will I set you free. If you keep up your ass of an attitude I might leave you in your world with that ring on. From what I know you're the only Kryptonian there so it's going to be hard finding a volunteer take that off for you." Clark glared at Kara, not taking her threat lightly.

Oliver crossed his arms, standing behind Clark, "Should be fun adjusting to a lifetime as a mortal. Clark Luthor and Earth-2 Oliver will be equals and hey maybe you'll finally have the balls to walk away from Lionel's hold on you without trying to kill him-" With that, Clark spun around and grabbed Oliver's collar, meeting his fist with his jaw as Oliver fell to the ground.

Kara ran to restrain Clark as he tried to lunge forward to attack Oliver again, who leapt up from the ground also tried to fight back as Bruce held him back, "YOU SHUT YOUR F*CKING HOLE YOU BASTARD!" Chloe ran to Oliver as he roughly pulled himself out of Bruce's grip, holding his jaw as he spat out a chunk of blood to the floor.

Kara locked her arms around Clark effortlessly and pulled him away. She let go once they were far enough from Oliver across the other side of the room as Clark walked away, panting. Lois rushed towards Clark, "Hey, calm down..." She wrapped her hand around his forearm and as soon as their skin touched, Clark yanked his arm away from her.

She took a step back, holding her hands up in front of him, swallowing hard out of fear. Clark gave her a menacing stare, "Get the hell away from me." He said through his teeth. He turned away from Lois, leaving her taken aback by his cruel tone, feeling his hatred towards her. Kara grabbed him again and dragged him away, "What the hell are you doing?" He spat out as Kara continued to pull him to a separate room while he struggled against her.

Opening the doors to the dark room, she threw Clark into a chair and handcuffed his wrists to the handles of the chair and shackled his ankles to the legs. Clark continued to struggle as Kara strapped him down, "You're going to stay in here, and not cause another brawl until we figure out what to do with you..." Once she made sure he was tightly secured, Kara walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

Lois stood by, watching the scene while clutching her chest, trying to keep it together as the man that resembled her husband didn't want her anywhere near him, hurt by the way he looked at her until the doors were closed. Taking a deep breath, Lois walked towards Oliver as Chloe helped him up, "Are you okay?"

Tess walked past her towards Oliver, handing him an ice pack as he sat down on the couch. Oliver thanked her and looked back at Lois with a slight smile, "Ah it's nothing I've gotten worse blows to the face." He nodded behind her towards the room where Clark was in, "Touchy subject I guess..." He said, wincing as he felt the coldness of the ice touch his jaw.

"Yeah..." Lois whispered ever so quietly, "I'm sorry."

Chloe looked back up at Lois, with a look of disappointment, while Oliver took her hand, "Don't be legs. We'll fix this." Lois nodded, but Chloe continued to stare at Lois... she wanted to talk to her, to understand what was going through her head right now. At this moment for the life of her, Chloe had no hints of what was going through Lois' mind.

"Okay Tess we can't keep him here. Now how do we get him back? I want to do this fast, he can't stay here any longer!" Bruce exclaimed, rattled by the fight that had just erupted.

Tess bit her lip and took a deep breath, "We can't do anything without the mirror box."

"Tell me more about the box. How does it work?" he asked.

Sighing, Tess explained, "The device is a silver plated box. It has the Kryptonian symbol that represents the Mark of Transference on it and it works like a puzzle that needs the parts of the same frame to activate it." Bruce continued to listen intently with the others, "When the box is activated, the Mark of Transference shines and the person who activates it disappears. The mirror box has the capability to transport someone through parallel universes. This is the only known way to travel from Earth-1 to Earth-2. It causes one to switch places with their counter-parts from the other universe... The box can only be activated by Kryptonians."

Chloe stood up, deep in thought, "Hold on..." She turned to point at Lois, "Lois is the one who activated the box... she's not even Kryptonian so how was she able to activate it?"

Tess shook her head, "When Clark used it the first time, he came back and destroyed the box... but Emil and I had recovered the parts and repaired it."

"What? Why would you want to repair it? Can't you see what kind of massacre happens?" Oliver said, gesturing towards the room Clark was in.

Tess sighed, "This was years ago, back around the time when I first found out I was Lionel's daughter. I enlisted Emil's help because I knew that my father was on the other side of that box." She paused, stuttering through her words as she spoke, "I wanted answers. Answers about myself that only Lionel can give and I had my chance to get those answers." Her eyes met Lois' whose eyes widened. Tess continued, "Anyways... after Emil restructured the box, I was tempted to do it, but in the end I knew that activating the mirror box will do more harm than it will ever do me good so I never went through with it. Instead I went to Clark... Our Clark. I gave him the box and told him to keep it safe. He was furious with me at first for going behind his back but he finally understood my reasons. I mean if you had a chance to talk to your parents again wouldn't you take that chance Ollie?"

Oliver's eyes went to Lois, and suddenly everything was clear. Her back was to him, and he kept his eyes on her, holding the ice pack against his bleeding jaw, "Yeah... if I had a chance to be with someone I loved again... I would use that opportunity in a heartbeat..." Lois swallowed hard and continued to look at the floor, as her vision became blurry from the tears stinging her eyes.

Tess looked from Oliver to Lois and then back to him as she shook her head slightly, "That's not the same." She said in a loud, stern tone, "I wasn't trying to play god and attempt a way to bring someone from the dead. I wanted answers about my origins."

"Tess" Chloe said, taken aback by her lack of empathy.

Tess ignored them all and continued, "We have two problems, one we don't have the only device to send him back and two, we don't know what will happen if we activate it again."

"What do you mean?" Kara asked.

"I mean we never tested the device after it was repaired. If we put it together there must've been some malfunctions. I mean now we know a human can activate it, but the human can't be transported since Lois is still here. And for some reason Clark Luthor, a Kryptonian who was nowhere near the box ended up in our world and we all know he couldn't have switched with our Clark here because ours isn't even alive. I have no idea what will happen if we activate it again. I mean if we can find it, Emil can do some tests on it and try and figure out how to properly use it so Kara can transport him to Earth-2 and come back to our world safely."

"That is if we find it." Kara said, crossing her arms, irritated with the fact that they are at a dead end at this point.

"Chloe?" Oliver put a hand on her shoulder, "You okay? You seem a little pale." He watched her face as she looked deep in thought, worry and fear written all over her face.

Chloe jumped at Oliver's touch and composed herself, "Y-yeah I'm okay... it's just uhh.. Overwhelming that's all." Oliver nodded.

"So we have to find it right? It's nowhere in the Kent farm?" He asked.

Tess shook her head, replying, "Kara x-rayed the place. It's missing."

Bruce huffed in frustration, "So now what?"

Kara took a step forward, "There's nothing we can do without the mirror box. So I guess until we figure out what to do and where to find it we'll just have to keep him here."

Oliver gave a humourless chuckle, "Well that's going to go well. God knows how long we're going to have to keep him here."

"Well there's one thing for sure, we can't leave him out of our sight and cause chaos." Chloe stated.

Tess nodded, "I guess we should let him know then, and we can work on a plan and do some research." They all nodded and walked towards the door. Tess opened it and went in first, watching Clark panting, clearly showing how hard he tried escaping from the handcuffs.

Lifting his head to see everyone in the dark room, as he sat in the middle, while the others stood in front of him. Clark shook his head, "You assholes ready to let me go now?"

Tess shook her head and crossed her arms, taking a confident stance to which Clark couldn't help smirking at, "We don't know where the mirror box is, so until we find that or any other way to send you back... we're keeping you here so you don't do any funny business in our world."

Clark gave a humorless laugh, "This is a joke right? That's your plan? You're going to babysit me and wait for the box to magically appear?"

"You have any better ideas?" Kara challenged.

"Yeah uncuff me, take off this ring and I'll find it myself since you people are the most useless species I've ever met!" He spat out.

Kara laughed, "There's nothing you can do that I can't Kal-" Kara stopped herself and cleared her throat, "Clark. I'm older than you and therefore my powers are more advanced. If I can't find it than neither can you." She patted his shoulder to which, Clark roughly shoved away from her contact. Kara rolled her eyes and walked away from him, "You have too much rage held inside Clark."

"You blame me? I got forced into this world without my consent and I'm being held like a prisoner for doing nothing!"

"Excuse me?" Tess exclaimed, "You try and strangle me to death. The last time you were here said it all that you're lethal and can't be trusted. You blame us for holding you captive here? You don't belong here and we're going to make sure you won't get comfortable."

Clark smirked, "In my world what I did was just another Tuesday for you sis."

"I'm not your Tess. I never will be and you're lucky all we're doing is keeping you cuffed to a chair."

Clark whistled, "Never thought of you to be the frisky person who's open to torture Lutessa. I mean do you even have the will power to hurt me. The man who looks just like your infamous hero?" He turned to the rest of the group, "I can tell you're all holding back because you all see me as him." He faced Lois, "That's too bad. Because I never asked for this. I never chose to come here and I'm being held as a prisoner because of it. I was just finally starting to celebrate my life... my freedom and now it's taken away from me again." Lois looked up and their eyes met. He wore a blank stare as she was unable to take her eyes away from him. Bruce noticed the exchange between them, and shifted his weight from one leg to the other, uncomfortable to be in the same room with them. His face dropped at the way Lois was looking at... Clark Luthor. It was a look he's seen her share with her son. A look that nobody would understand but the people she addressed it to. Feeling like he was imposing in their moment, Bruce stepped out of the room.

Chloe spoke up, "Well we have no choice. The world here as we know it thinks Clark Kent is... dead." Her eyes went to Lois as she stared at nothing in particular. Chloe continued, "We can't have you wandering around when like it or not, you are him. People will raise questions and what's going to happen when they discover 'Clark Kent' is back? You're not on vacation. You're staying here until we find the mirror box and then you can go back to your life as a free man if that's what you want. But you're not going anywhere. You will be on lockdown in this tower. Each one of us will take turns and keep surveillance and guard him."

Clark shook his head, disappointed with the circumstances. All his life, he was under lockdown by his father, and now it's happening again and once again... he has no power to get out. Lois watched him as he looked down at his wrist, balling his hands into fists while everyone discussed some sort of plan to take shifts babysitting him. For some reason, she could tell he was more than angry about this situation, he felt trapped, and vulnerable. He felt like he was returning to hell and had no control of his life. This was all her fault; she had done this to him. She was the reason he was going to be handcuffed to a chair for god knows how long. She had been silent long enough. Lois knew no one would like what she had to say, but she had to try. Lois Lane was never one to give up, "He's not staying here."

The chatter had stopped and all eyes were on Lois. Lois crossed her arms as Oliver went up to her, "What do you mean he can't stay here? Where do you suggest he stays?"

"Or did you miraculously remember where the mirror box is?" Tess challenged.

Lois took a deep breath and stood straight, "He can stay with me at my condo here in Metropolis."

There was silence for a good thirty second before everyone blasted her, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

"THAT'S THE DUMBEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!"

"DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS ISN'T THE KIND GENTLE CLARK KENT HE'S DANGEROUS!"

"DO YOU HAVE A DEATH WISH?"

Lois massaged her temple with her fingers, and held her hand up, "I know what you're all thinking, but none of this was his fault. I'm the one who brought him here. He didn't choose to come here I brought him here. So it should be my responsibility to keep an eye on him while you guys find a way to get the box."

"Exactly. This IS your fault! You have no say in this since you're the one who began this mess!" Tess exclaimed, fuelled with anger, "Honestly Lane just when I thought you couldn't make matters worse and do something more stupid you go ahead and suggest something like that! At this point I wouldn't mind keeping you under lockdown too!"

"Tess calm down" Oliver said as he took Lois by the arm and walked out of the room. Everyone soon followed as Kara closed the door behind her, taking one quick glance at Clark who still wore a shocked expression. Oliver turned to Lois and spoke softly, "Look Lois, this is a bad idea I don't understand how you can be thinking this. You don't need to take responsibility okay, we can handle it from here." Oliver said.

Lois shook her head, "He doesn't want this okay. He doesn't want to be locked up in a tower like it's some sort of Disney movie." That got Tess to narrow her eyes at Lois but she ignored it, "Look, I know what you're all thinking... He's no threat without his powers. He can stay with me in my condo until further notice if I can't handle it, and he attacks me you can take him back, but please, trust me."

Tess put her hands on her hips, "Don't you remember the last encounter you had with Clark Luthor or did you get amnesia when he grabbed you and threw you into a table, knocking you unconscious? This man is lethal!"

Chloe spoke up, "Tess is right Lo, even without his powers, he can still hurt you."

Lois sighed, "He had his powers then... and if he wanted to hurt me he would've done it already. There was so much time between the moment he came here to the moment Kara put that ring on him... he doesn't want to hurt me." Clark overheard what Lois was saying on the other side of that door, closing his eyes. He can't be here. He had to leave this world fast. "He never hurt me. Without his powers, there's very little that he can do. He can't run away." He heard her say. "Listen, I think he would rather be in a better environment than a room with metal doors locking him in."

"Either way what's the difference, he'll still be locked in your house only here we can keep an eye on him and everyone will be safe." Oliver said.

"The difference is that he won't be held like a prisoner, handcuffed to a chair. It could be a while before he gets to go home"

"And you're so confident that he won't hurt you? He won't try and get some answers out of you about the mirror box, try and use you as leverage to get what he wants? From what I've been hearing he's worse than a Luthor. He would probably leave town and wreak havoc in our city." Bruce said pacing back and forth.

Lois sighed, "I know what he's capable of and when we were alone he didn't seem like he wanted to hurt me and that was when he had his powers. He was just confused that's all..."

Bruce came to a halt and shook his head, "Lois this is completely reckless and naive of you. You can't honestly think we'd consider this? And what about Chris?"

Lois' lips parted as she raised her brow at him, "What about Chris?"

"You want your son to be around a lethal killer?" Bruce's voice rose.

Lois had tears in her eyes and stayed silent. Chloe watched Lois and took a deep breath, "Hey you guys stay here, Lois and I are going to go take a walk outside." Lois' eyes went to Chloe, who nodded back at her.

"If you're going to convince her that she's done enough damage and let us control this situation than be my guest." Tess said as she walked to a separate room to get something to drink. It seemed everyone was in need of a break at this point.

Chloe ignored everyone else and took Lois' hand, pulling her towards the elevator, "Come on Lo, let's go get some air. I'll treat you to some rocky road." They rode the elevator in silence as Chloe looked at Lois from time to time from the corner of her eye, while Lois looked straight ahead. They walked down the streets as Chloe went to the nearest ice cream shop and ordered two rocky roads for her and Lois, triple scoop for Lois. They continued walking down the streets when Chloe looked down at her watch, whistling in awe, "Wow it's almost 4 in the morning. I thought we had gotten too old to be partying it up all night on New Year's." She looked up at Lois who barely touched her ice cream, chuckling, she said, "You know I didn't buy that so you can drink it as a milkshake" No response, Chloe sighed, "So it's been almost six hours since I called you all the way from Star City asking about your special New Year's plans with Chris. You said you guys were just watching movies and then off to bed to wake to up to a New Year..." Her voice trailed off and Chloe took Lois' hand and made her finally face her. "Talk to me Lo. Tell me what happened from the time I hung up the phone to where we are right now... how did this manage to happen in a matter of only six hours?" Chloe pleaded with Lois to open up to her.

Lois' bottom lip trembled as she tried to keep it together; it started to snow while they stood in the middle of Metropolis streets. Her eyes fluttered as she kept her tears from falling. Chloe could see the tears flowing in her eyes. Lois shook her head and shrugged, speaking in a quiet tone, "I don't know how I ended up here Chloe. I don't know how a lot of things happened I'm still trying to understand it. I don't know how I went from being the happiest woman alive, married to a wonderful man who I can't picture living without... to being a widow, and a single mother." Lois took a deep breath and covered her eyes with her hand. Chloe waited in silence as the snow continued to fall around them, "You have no idea how lonely I feel. How time has stopped for me the second you all came to my door that night to tell me I lost him. Look at us... we're starting a new year. He vowed to spend every year by my side. He vowed he would love me, and hold me, and grow old with me forever. Forever should've been longer Chloe. I... I don't have anyone to live for other than Chris. He's the only thing that keeps me going and I love him so much. I'm thankful I still have him." Lois clutched her chest as her heart began to ache again, releasing her vulnerability, "I promised to protect him from the moment he was born. I promised to protect Chris from all the weight and the pain from the world. And all this time, that is what I've been doing! That's the reason why I wake up in the morning now. But what about me! Who's there for me? Who's there to protect ME from the weight and the pain of the world because I feel all of it Chloe and there's literally no one to take that away. To make it all better with just a smile. Yeah I have you and all our friends, but you all know it's not the same. It always used to be Clark. It was always Clark! He used to always wake me up every morning by hugging me close to him and kissing my face. He always used to make late night visits just to tell me he loves me before going off to save someone. He was the one to hold me when I was getting morning sickness, he was the one to comfort me at times when I missed my mom. He always remembered our anniversary and never held it against me when I forgot. Clark was the one to tell me everything was going to be okay and I believed it. Now? Now he's not here and I needed him again to protect me from the weight and the pain. The pain from feeling alone. I need him Chloe, I need his voice, his warmth, his love." Lois began to sob and break down. Chloe dropped her ice cream and wrapped her arms around her cousin. She thought it had gotten better, she thought Lois had finally accepted what happened and moved forward. It never really went away.

"It's going to be okay Lois." Chloe stroked her cousin's back while she continued to cry.

Lois shook her head against Chloe, "This wonderful man happened to me, and then he died. What was the point?" She cried harder.

Tears quietly fell down Chloe's cheek as her heart ached for Lois. She should've known Lois Lane was the master at keeping her emotions in check for the sake of others. She should've known her cousin as still grieving, "I'm so sorry Lois... I don't know how to answer that."

Lois pulled away, wiping her tears, "You have no idea how hard it was back at Watchtower. My heart felt like it was going to shatter. My palms hurt because I've been digging my fingernails into them. I had to keep myself together and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. I couldn't speak, I had to hold my breath at times because I thought I was just going to scream at the top of my lungs and break down." She shook her head as her voice rose, "How..." She breathed in and tried again, "How can I just keep it together while I'm in the same room as Clark Luthor... it's Clark! My husband's counter-part is standing there and I just want to break down because he can't hold me. Because I can't relish on the fact that I get to see Clark again after over a year! When I look at him... it's like he never left me and..." She began to sob again, clutching her chest, "I'm just so happy to see his face again." She fell into Chloe's arms again as she tried to comfort her cousin.

"Oh Lois... Why did you do it? Why did you bring him here wouldn't that just hurt so much more to have to see him disappear from our lives again? We all lost Clark that day Lois. I lost my best friend. That day was hard on all of us. Clark was a big part of our lives. I understand your pain Lo, but you're not making it easier on yourself to put you through this. To see someone with the same face as your husband, what were you expecting from him? He's a cruel version of the man you loved why would you want to remember Clark that way? By keeping him around you. By suggesting him living with you is going to be painful because he's not the same man." Chloe said in a strained voice, "He could hurt you Lois. Why would you trust him into your life?"

Lois took a deep, unsteady breath; her face was flushed, as her tears dried up, "I just missed him too much I had to... I found the mirror box in the loft and I held it in my hands..." She shook her head, staring up at the night sky, "I know it was crazy. I know he's not my Clark. He's the man of steel with a cold heart... But he's still Clark. It's not like he's a phantom taking his physical form as Bizarro Clark this is still Clark, body and soul. Somewhere in there, I know my Clark is in him. If I have to endure crap and him hating me, then that's fine. Because having this version of him... it's better than not having him at all. You don't know what it's like to lose the one person who completes you and know that you can bring an alternate version of him back. You can tell me Clark Luthor isn't Clark Kent. I get it. I know he's not my husband. No one can replace my Clark. But... looking back at those eyes, I can tell he still holds compassion that my husband did. He could've killed me and Chris anytime. Before Tess and Emil came, he just watched Chris, and he realized himself that they shared the same DNA just by looking at him. And when he got attacked by green-K, I saw the look on his face. He was making sure my son wouldn't feel the same pain. That was something I didn't expect Chloe." Lois took a deep breath, "I wasn't ready to let him go Chloe. I just... I just want one last chance... one last chance to see his face, to hold his hand again. That's probably never going to happen with this Clark... but at least I get to see him alive and appreciate what I had before he goes back to his world. I don't want to waste another minute away before he leaves. I just want to be able to say what I wanted to tell my Clark before he died. And before that time comes I just want to appreciate what I once had. Just for a while, forget the fact that there was no hope in saving my Clark... and that he's gone forever." Lois breathed out her last words.

Chloe stared back at Lois, conflicted with what to do. What to say. Her mouth opened, as she struggled to speak, in a soft tone she said, "Lois, there's something I need to tell you..." Lois blinked and waited for Chloe to continue, who drew in a deep breath, "Around Christmas... J'onn and I-" Suddenly her phone rang. Chloe reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She looked up at Lois, "It's Ollie." Lois nodded while Chloe answered, "Hey Ollie... Yeah Lois and I are a couple blocks outside of Watchtower... No we haven't decided yet... Okay I'll be there soon... I love you." She flipped her phone shut and looked up at Lois, "They want us to come back to Watchtower. He's getting worried."

Lois nodded, "Let's get you back to your guy." Chloe gave her a small smile, and watched as Lois stared back at Watchtower from afar, "I don't want to face them again... I know they're all judging me. I don't care I really don't... but, I just don't want them to look at me differently for making a choice like this and not regretting it." Lois took a deep breath, "If I had to do it over again I would. I can't explain how I feel it's like... the moment I saw Clark in the farm house again... it's like light had been shed into my heart. I wouldn't give that feeling back for the world. But when I go back in there, they just make me feel like I did such a terrible thing. And as always I'm alone in this." She continued to look forward as Chloe took her hand.

"You're not alone Lois. Not anymore. I feel like I haven't done enough to be there for you cuz. You need me and no matter what Lois Lane I am going to stand by you and whatever decision you make if that's what you need from me."

Tears welled up in Lois' eyes, "Chloe you don't have to support me in this if you don't believe what I'm doing is right or twisted."

Chloe shook her head, "You are my family and I know you more than anyone in that room. I know you're not twisted and if you trust yourself enough to control this situation and take responsibility for Clark Luthor, then I trust you. I got your back Lo. Even though I don't think this is a good idea, if you think this is the best decision, then I'll support you. I doubt anyone else will agree with us but hey..." She brought her fist up and smiled, "Hoes before the Justice League."

Lois burst into laughter and Chloe joined in, "I always thought of myself classier than a hoe, but the title definitely suits you." She bumped her fist against Chloe's, "Hoes before the Justice League."

Chloe laughed and wrapped her arm around Lois' waist as they walked back to Watchtower, "Hey look who's attempting to get a sense of humour again!" Lois gave a small smile and leaned her head against Chloe's.

"Thank you Chloe." Chloe nodded, putting the fact that she still hasn't told Lois about her secret in the back of her head.


	15. Yesterday Was Hard on All of Us

OKAYY FINALLY AN UPDATEE:D!

I finally got a whole day to finish up this chapter, edit, re-edit about 10000 times so now it's ready to be read:) I know all of you are hesitant to read about CL+LL in this story I just want you all to know this won't be so much of a romantic relationship between the two like they don't become a couple or anything but they will form a close bondfrom their time together and this story will depict the transformation of CL in his time experiencing a life his counterpart had lived and how he adapts to everythingg. Here's the conclusion to the events happening in Watchtower I hope you enjoy the Chapter thank you all for the reviews adn your thoughts on how you feel about the storyline I hope you continue to read it It's just as much of a CK+LL story as it is a CL+LL storyy:)

You know the drilll... leave your commentss;)!

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><p><strong>Chapter 15: Yesterday was Hard on All of Us- Fink<strong>

_**Where do we go from here? Where do we go? We've got nothing we can trust and nothing we can sell. How do we get out? How do we move around with all these eyes on us? Our paths they cross. Yesterday was hard on all of us.**_

_Back at Watchtower_

"You want a drink?" Oliver ripped his eyes away from the closed doors and stared back at Tess holding out a glass of scotch.

Sighing, Oliver took the glass and gave her a small smile of gratitude. They both stared back at the doors in silence, taking a small sip of their drinks. Tess looked back down at her glass, slightly twirling it around, "He's not the same guy Ollie." She said in a soft tone.

Oliver's chest rose, while he took another sip, "I know... it's just..." He paused, deep in thought, "I haven't seen him in over a year Tess. I watched him die; I watched him take his last breath..." Closing his eyes he shook his head to himself, "He was my best friend Tess. I was the best man at their wedding; you can't tell me you haven't felt a little relieved to see him again. You can't tell me a part of you isn't feeling a sense of joy. Like it was the real Clark Kent who had come back into our lives."

The corner of Tess' mouth slightly curved up, "Is that really how you felt when he clocked your jaw for insulting his relationship with his father Lionel?" Oliver stayed silent for that, "This isn't Clark Ollie, we can't think like that. We can't just feel sympathy for him. He'll be expecting that and the second we let our guard down... he could try and kill us. We're the ones who are going to have to keep a clear head through this because Lois..." Tess shook her head to herself, "We're going to have to keep an eye on Lois cause she just might make matters worse. She's not thinking right because her head is where yours is at right now. Clark Luthor is not your best friend. You were not his best man at his wedding. You need to treat him like your enemy. And from what I know, you two already are in his world so he'll be used to it." With that, Tess walked away, leaving Oliver with his thought as he continued to drink his scotch.

He turned to see Bruce sitting on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees, covering half of his face with his hands. Oliver sat next to Bruce, and held out his glass towards him, "Here... you probably need this more than I do." Bruce dropped his hands and sat back against the couch, taking the glass from Oliver and drank the rest of the scotch in one gulp, exhaling loudly, quenching in the burning sensation in his throat. Oliver raised his brow at Bruce, "Guess I was right." Patting his back, Oliver continued, "How are you holding up?"

Bruce gave a small chuckle, "How do you think I'm doing... Some evil twin of Clark's is in our world and apparently he's nothing like our friend." Bruce's head hung low, staring intently at the glass he was holding "Why would she do this? Why would she put herself through this?"

Oliver sighed, leaning back against the couch, "You know she's never truly moved on. She just needs some time."

Bruce scoffed, "We all tried moving on from that day Queen. That day still burns in my head even after a year, I think about it all the time. I think about how badly Clark was beaten up by Doomsday... she thinks we don't get that? That day was hard on all of us. Losing Clark is something we all have to carry around with us. We know how it feels she should've let us be there for her" He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair, "We have been living a whole year trying to move on! She... I tried being there for her she told me she was fine. She never told me how bad it was. That it was so bad she wanted to resort to this!" He gestured towards the door. "She could've talked to me Oliver. I told her I would be there for her no matter what... I guess I wasn't enough..." Bruce rolled the glass between the palms of his hands as he was deep in thought.

Oliver stayed silent for a long while and shrugged, "She loves him man... and this situation is something none of us can understand but you can't tell me you're going to stop being there for her because she didn't let you in."

With a slight smirk, Bruce replied, "No of course not. I'm here as long as she needs me here no matter what... I just wished she would've opened up to me about this. We hadn't spoken about him since Christmas and she seemed so happy that night... I could've helped her. She didn't need to do this. You can't possibly tell me Lois wasn't thinking straight. This is Lois we're talking about. No... She did this because she thought there was no possible way for her to move on. She missed him so much that she couldn't live a life without him that she decided to take matters into her own hands."

Oliver looked down at his hands, and then back to Bruce, "Are you really going to hold that against her? Bruce... I know how you feel about her. I get that you're hurt but... you need to understand, Lois lost her husband, the father of her child. People deal with death in their own way. Lois tried... she couldn't do it. Sometimes... death is something people just can't accept."

Bruce chewed on his lip, chuckling softly, "Yeah... I get it man. Trust me. I'm just wondering what's going to happen once he's gone again. How we're all going to move past this... it's like watching him fade out of our lives all over again don't you think?" He looked up at Oliver, who simply nodded in silence. Bruce gave a slight nod and looked back down at his glass, "Yeah..."

They looked up at Tess' heels hitting against the floor as she walked over to them, looking down at her phone, "Well I hope Kara has better luck than we do... honestly if she comes back with no answers then I don't know what else there is to do..." The elevator light blinked red as Tess typed in the password to let Chloe and Lois back in.

Bruce stood up, noticing Lois' puffy eyes and flushed face, and began to get concerned, "Hey, you okay?" He said in a soft tone as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, stroking her arm.

Lois wiped her nose and nodded, giving him a small smile as she pulled away from him and walked over to Chloe, who wrapped her arm around her waist. Chloe turned back to the group and took a deep breath, "So Lois and I talked about it..." They all waited with raised eyebrows as Chloe sighed, knowing how they were going to respond, "I think it's best for Clark to stay with her."

After a long moment of silence and the blank stares given by each one of them, Tess gave out a humourless laugh, "Unbelievable. Chloe you were the last person I would've thought who'd agree with her. But what do I know about family right?"

Oliver shook his head at her in disbelief, "You can't be serious?" He took a step towards her, "Chloe you weren't here the last time we had a run in with this guy, he tore Watchtower apart, he had no mercy... why on earth would you suggest something like this?" He said through his teeth in frustration.

Chloe sighed and walked towards Oliver, "I know Ollie, you told me all about the lethal Clark Luthor but there is one thing we never considered about this..." Oliver waited, "Clark never hurt Lois and Chris while he had his powers, he was just angry cause he wanted to go back to his world." Oliver shook his head again, unable to look at her, "Listen... if we lay out some ground rules and clearly state the consequences if he breaks them I think he just might oblige... I mean we all have the same goals here, to get him back to Earth-2 he can't say no to this offer."

"No, but we can!" Bruce exclaimed, "Look we're only looking out for everyone's safety, if he stays here then everyone will be safe and no harm will be done by him until he gets back to his world."

"This isn't some vacation for him, he needs to pay for everything he's done and the fact that you're letting your guard down because he looks like Clark is clouding your better judgment Chloe. He's staying in that room for the time being." Tess said.

With a sigh, Lois spoke up, "Do you have to keep him tied to a chair for the rest of his time here? I mean who knows how long he'll be staying? If he's going to stay here then at least let him walk around freely there isn't even a chance for him to escape Chloe's impenetrable lockdown installed in this tower."

Tess scoffed, "Walk around freely here? So he can screw around our computer technology and possibly cause a virus destroying our mainframe and possibly figuring out a way to escape? He is a Luthor after all he's smart enough to do that." Crossing her arms, Tess shook her head disapprovingly at Lois, "No. He's staying cuffed to that chair."

"If you just give him a chance-" Lois pleaded.

"The answer is NO!" Tess shouted, who echoed throughout the room.

Lois rolled her eyes, it was impossible to talk to Tess at this moment, she turned to Oliver instead, "Look all I'm saying is that if you give him the benefit of the doubt and let me keep an eye on him without being held as a prisoner and being handcuffed in a dark room, he might cooperate with us. I mean you all want the same thing right? Why would he fight against that?"

"But you don't want the same thing as us..." Everyone turned to face Bruce, who directed his attention at Lois, boring his eyes into her, with a smidgen of emotion he rarely reveals, "You want him to stay."

Lois stared back at Bruce, guilt written all over her face. Taking a deep breath, she responded in a quiet tone, "That's not important. _You_ all want the same thing. What I want doesn't matter does it..."

Bruce stayed silent, as Chloe cleared her throat to cut the tension, "All we're saying is that we're not these kinds of people. We don't keep a man hostage like this that's not what the League is about Ollie."

"Let's see, he strangled me in my home, not giving me a chance to let everything sink in, he punched Ollie in the face... I think that's too many attacks in one encounter. To think he doesn't deserve to be tied up like a hostage?" Tess said in a stern tone, "I will never trust him."

"Well Ollie was the one who provoked a man who was already on the edge."

Ollie turned to Lois, appalled, "Are you seriously defending him? Who's got the broken jaw here?"

Lois tried to hide her smile, "Come on Ollie, you're telling me if someone tried to take a jab at you by bringing up past history you want to forget, you wouldn't clock him in the face as well?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, "Yeah, okay." He said stubbornly. He stared back at Lois, and then to Chloe, "You really think this is a good idea?"

Chloe shook her head, "No. But it's better than keeping him here."

Oliver exhaled loudly, and then looked back at Lois, "You really think you can handle him? Him and his jolly attitude?" He said sarcastically.

Lois nodded, "This was my fault. It's my responsibility and if we can all be in the same playing field and lay some ground rules... I believe he'll listen."

Oliver stayed silent for a long moment and then turned back to Tess, who raised her brow, "You're seriously considering this?"

"Tess..." Oliver started, "She's right, we're not the kind of people who would keep a man hostage like this. From what we know, he never made any intention to hurt Lois and he doesn't have his powers."

Tess gave a humourless chuckled and shook her head at the ceiling, after a long moment, she held up her hands in surrender, "Do whatever the hell you want I honestly don't have the energy to fight over this anymore, it's almost 6 in the morning. Do whatever you freakin' please!" She said as she stomped out of Watchtower.

Oliver looked down, taking a deep breath, he pointed a finger at Lois, "He can stay at your place BUT!" He paused, before continuing, making sure he had Lois' full attention, "We will stop by everyday to make sure everything's okay. EVERYDAY. We're going to lay over the rules to him and what will happen if he breaks them and Lois if he breaks one single rule... he comes right back here and he goes back to being cuffed to that chair you got it?"

Lois nodded, and took Oliver's hand, "Thank you Ollie."

Oliver nodded and gave her a small smile, "Alright so we'll keep him here tonight. Everyone can go and get some well needed sleep." Oliver wiped his eyes, "If anyone can get any at this point." They looked out the window to see the sky turning blue as the sun was rising, "When Kara get's here I'll fill her in on everything."

Chloe looked around, and furrowed her brows at Oliver, "Where is she anyways?"

"She went to the Fortress to see if Jor-El can give her any Intel on the mirror box and anything else that can help us get it back..." His voice trailed off when he saw Chloe grow pale, and complete shock plastered across her face. Oliver tilted his head and raised his brow at her, "Babe you okay?"

Chloe was shaken out of her thoughts as she stuttered through her words, "Uhm... w-what... w-why would s-she think Jor-El would help?"

Oliver shrugged, "It was his technology if anyone can give us information on it, it should be him?" He said in a matter of fact.

Chloe's eyes widened, "How long has she been gone for?" She asked in a shaky tone.

Oliver looked back at Lois and Bruce, who wore the same confused look, "About a half hour why?"

He watched Chloe swallow hard and pulled her hair behind her ear, "N-No nothing I was just wondering how long before she gets back..."

"Okay?" He said, still unsure of her reaction.

Chloe was deep in thought until she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around to see Lois' concerned face, "Chlo is everything okay?"

Chloe suddenly grinned and nodded, "Yeah no everything's fine I'm just..." She took a deep breath, "Hoping to hear some good news..." Her voice was slightly shaky and a higher pitch than usual, but she managed to keep it together as Lois nodded and smiled back at her.

"Alright so it's settled. Lois you should probably go back to Smallville. Get some rest we'll deal with everything later today." Oliver said.

Lois nodded and walked over to Oliver, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace. Oliver hugged her back, as she whispered in his ear, "Thank you Ollie."

Oliver pulled her away, "Get some rest Lo. We'll deal with this tomorrow... go to your son."

Lois nodded and turned around to see Bruce with his hands in his pocket, he stayed silent the whole time until he walked up to her, "Come on, I'll drive you home."

She turned back to face Oliver, "Maybe I should stay until Kara comes back... I mean she might come back with some news and I want to hear what she found out."

Oliver waved his hand at her, "If we have any news then you can come back tomorrow"

"You mean later today?" She said as she looked down at her watch.

"Nope I mean tomorrow" Lois looked up at him confused, "We've all had a long night we all need a day to let it all sink in and until then he stays here, Kara can watch over him. Besides, Tess is going to need a whole day to cool off and be on board with this."

Lois nods in understanding, all she wanted to do now was to be with Chris, "I guess I'll be hearing from you guys tomorrow" she turns back to Bruce and nods as he walks out of Watchtower with her, setting his hand on her back guiding her out.

Oliver and Chloe were left alone, he watched as Chloe, was unconsciously fiddling with her necklace, a worried look spread across her face as she was deep in thought. Sighing Oliver gently placed his hand on her shoulder, as she jumped against his touch. Oliver smiled down at her as his eyebrows twitched as she suddenly looked calm, "You sure you're okay?"

Chloe nodded, "It's just been a long night- well morning." She swallowed hard as Oliver continued eyeing her.

"Are you having second thoughts siding with your cousin over this? Now that it's actually happening and Clark Luthor is going to be under her watch?"

Chloe chuckled, "No I don't doubt Lois will be able to handle it until we find a way to bring him back to his world."

Oliver nodded silently, and thought for a while, "We're going to have to stay here in Metropolis for a while now. I'll call Bernie back in Star City and tell him that we'll be staying here for personal reasons, that way my co-workers at Queen Industry won't get suspicious of our sudden vanishing act."

"Yeah, I think that's a good idea..."

Sighing, Oliver wrapped his arms around her, bringing her closer, "Maybe we should take care of Chris for a while..." He watched Chloe raise her eyebrow at him and continued, "I mean until this whole thing blows over, like you said he could be here for a while. It might not be so good to have Chris around his father's counter-part. So that he doesn't get the wrong idea..."

"Lois is strong and I trust her to handle this. Look she feels responsible for how things have turned out and I know she'll put Chris' well being first."

Sighing, Oliver replied, "Honestly Chloe, I have no idea what Lois is capable of anymore. I mean her grief had caused her to do this. It makes me wonder how far it will take her. I mean is she even in the right state of mind right now?"

Chloe can see the worry Oliver had for Lois, she cupped his face and rested her forehead against his, "I promise you we'll keep an eye on her, find the mirror box and send Clark Luthor back to his world and then... we can all try to find a way to pick up where we left off and move on from all of this..."

Oliver inhaled deeply, "You feel it too don't you... on the inside, you're just as happy to see Clark's physical form rather than the ones in our memory." Chloe stayed silent, and pulled Oliver closer as she pressed her lips softly against his as he tightened his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Once they both pulled away, Oliver stared back into her eyes, hesitating to ask, "Would you have done it?" Chloe tilted her head, not comprehending what he meant. "Would you have brought my evil twin here just to see me again?"

Chloe bit her bottom lip and thought for a moment, "In a heartbeat..." She said in a soft whisper. She spoke softly, tightening her arms around his neck, "Don't ever leave me Ollie. Don't ever die on me."

Oliver sighed, hugging her close as she rested her head against his chest with tears in her eyes, forgetting about everything else for a moment. They stayed like that for a while until the red light above the elevator blinked and it was Kara. She was back from the Fortress. Chloe's pulse started racing as she tried to pace her breathing while Oliver typed in the password to let her in.

Chloe stood a few feet behind Oliver as Kara entered. She crossed her arms tightly around her middle as she bit her lip nervously. Kara's eyes met hers and she immediately went back to face Oliver. "So? What did you find Kara? Did Jor-El give you anything?"

Kara's eyes fluttered as she took a deep breath and Chloe braced herself, "I spoke to Jor-El and I told him everything that happened" They waited for her to continue, Kara took a deep breath, "He said..." She swallowed hard and Chloe got more anxious by the minute, "He said the mirror box was never supposed to be activated by humans... it's only to be activated by Kryptonians."

Oliver's lips parted, "What happens if it's activated by a human" he said each word slowly.

Kara bit her lip as she hesitated to speak, "He told me the mirror box was created to have specific rules programmed into it. That if it were to be in the wrong hands then there would be consequences. In this case... if it were to be activated by anyone other than a Kryptonian then... there would be consequences. Jor-El said that since it was activated by a human it's no surprise it disappeared."

"So where is it?" Chloe asked.

Kara stared back at Chloe with tortured eyes, "Jor-El said that the mirror box reacted to the human. It's like its own life force, and so when Tess and Emil repaired it, the life force of the box regenerated and therefore to complete the revival of the link between the parallel universes programmed into it... it needed to be activated by a Kryptonian."

"O-Kay..." Oliver strung his words out, waiting for more.

"It was never activated again. Remember Tess said right after she repaired it, Kal-El kept it, but he never activated it. And so Lois was the last one to activate it who's a human, which collided with the whole cosmic balance and messed with the whole grand design."

Oliver held his hand up, "Hold up. Grand design?"

"It's the intended nature of the universe... the balance of good and evil. Whereas Earth-1 is considered good, Earth-2 is considered our mirrored counter-parts... bad." Kara paced around Watchtower, "Anyways, by doing so, the mirror box reacted to it, and vanished... it's neither in our world nor in Earth-2."

Chloe's eyes widened as she stepped towards her, "So where is it? Phantom Zone maybe?"

Kara shook her head, "It's in the border between this world and the next. It's lost somehow with no way to trace it back unless it can be activated again by a Kryptonian to restore the balance and bring the mirror box to its rightful world."

"Okay so ask Jor-El to tell you how to get to that lost parallel world and you can get the box back to us." Oliver said.

Kara scoffed, "You think I haven't considered that? I asked Jor-El if there was a way... some sort of portal to bring me to the box... he said Kryptonian technology only went so far. They never found a way to get to a world in between two other ones before our planet was destroyed."

Oliver placed his hands on his hips and slowly walked towards Kara, "What are you saying?"

Sighing to herself, Kara turned to stare back at the room where Clark Luthor was being held in, "It means Jor-El knows where the mirror box is... but there's no human or Kryptonian way to go there and retrieve it. It's lost in a different plane of existence." They all stood still in silence for a long moment, while the sun shone through the Watchtower window. Kara sighed and turned back to Oliver, and spoke in a soft plea, "What are we going to do Ollie?"

Oliver chewed on his bottom lips and slowly shook his head from side to side, "I honestly don't know..." He pinched the bridge of his nose.

Chloe came up to him and wrapped her hand around his arm, "Hey, why don't you go to the loft and get some rest, you've had a long night..."

"What about you?" He said, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"I'm going to stay behind and go over the security system. As of now we have no plan so there's no point in wasting any more time here we'll deal with the rest later. We've prepared for what to do if Kara couldn't find any answers from Jor-El for now." Chloe said, "I'll meet you back home okay?"

Oliver sighed and nodded, kissing her forehead, he turned to Kara, "Don't worry Kara, we'll figure something out somehow. There's always a loophole. You still gave us a lot of information to work on. At least now we know where our mirror box is." Kara nodded and said bye to Oliver as he left Watchtower.

Both Kara and Chloe were the only ones left in Watchtower. Chloe's smile faded as she faced Kara, twirling her thumbs together, "What a night..." She said hesitantly.

Kara wore a somber look, "And we've accomplished absolutely nothing... As much as it's good to see Kal-El again he can't be here." She looked thoughtfully at the closed doors, and then turned back to Chloe, "How did your talk with Lois go? Did anything happen when I left?"

Chloe's eyebrows twitched as she stepped closer to Kara, "Kara... what else happened in the fortress?"

Kara blinked, confused at Chloe's question, "Are you implying that I'm hiding something? I told you everything that happened with Jor-El."

"Okay?" Rubbing her neck, Chloe paced around, "Look obviously you know what's hidden there you don't need to keep it from me. I'm the one who's responsible for it."

Kara's lips parted, "Chloe what are you talking about? There's nothing in the Fortress but ice and snow... what did you hide?"

Chloe watched Kara for a long moment and her face tightened, "... You're telling me you didn't see anything unusual..."

"No. Like I said, nothing but ice and snow..."

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><p><strong>Tell me what you thinkk;) BTW it's not exactly what it seemss if you know what I meann *wink wink***<strong>


	16. Crawl

**Hey guys sorry for taking so long but I' have some devastating newss:(**

**My USB that had all my cliffnotes and chapters for this story has malfunctioned for some reason I have no idea whyy and I don't know how to fix itt:'( I've spent the past few weeks in a deep dark hole but I am trying my hardest to fix it cross your fingers for me otherwise I'll have to rewrite my notes and write as much as I can rememberr with my size 2 brain:( anyways this chapter is the last one that survivedd! So enjoy this one while I try and recover the rest of the story I'll try to work as fast as I can so you don't have to wait too longg:( I'll let you know if I was able to fix it !**

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><p><strong>Chapter 16: Crawl- Superchick<strong>

_**How long will this take? How much can I go through? My heart, my soul aches. I don't know what to do. I bend, but don't break, and somehow I'll get through, cause I'll have you.**_

The car came to a halt in front of the farm house, as Bruce sat quietly in the backseat with Lois as she had her head leaned against his shoulder, fast asleep. He watched her sleeping peacefully, something he rarely saw in her face. He never noticed it before, but it had become clearer now more than ever. Remembering back then, before all of this had happened, days when he was having lunch with her, visiting at the Planet, seeing her at Watchtower, taking her son out to the park, her face seemed contempt around him, but if he concentrated carefully, it had always been broken, much like her heart. Inwardly kicking himself for letting all those moments pass without helping her go through them. Why didn't he see this before? Why didn't he see how much she was truly hurting even after a year? Bruce let her have at least a small moment of peaceful sleep, before emerging back into this cruel version of her life. His heart ached for her. Looking down, he noticed she was wearing the bracelet he had gotten her for Christmas. A small smile formed on his lips as he gently took her small wrist, careful not to wake her up, as she snuggled closer against his shoulder, Bruce traced the wings of the phoenix charm. Taking a deep breath, Bruce gently shook her leg, whispering gently, "Lois? Lo. We're here." Lois groaned, scolding the voice that had taken her away from what little sleep she had gotten. The voice came back again as he tried to shake her awake again, "Come on Lo. We're back in Smallville, wake up."

Suddenly, Lois became aware of where she was, as she lifted her head off his shoulder. Rubbing her eyes, she looked up at him, yawning at the same time, "Sorry, I didn't realize I even fell asleep."

Bruce smiled back at her, "You fell asleep right when we got in the car, you must be exhausted..."

Lois covered her mouth, stifling another yawn, "Yeah it's been a long night." She said softly, closing her eyes again.

"I know..." He paused for a brief moment, watching the features of her face, "You probably don't want another pep talk... I think Tess did most of that so I don't want to put you through that again but..." Lois slowly opened her eyes, but continued looking forward as she listened, "Lois why didn't you ever talk to me. I told you I was here for you I... if I knew how much you were hurting, how much you missed him... I could've helped. You didn't need to do this." Lois remained silent as Bruce continued to speak, "Maybe if you had come to me, or Chloe, or Oliver. You didn't need to keep it all in. Maybe if you let it all out you could've had the strength to stop yourself from doing this."

She slowly blinked as she replied, "You all had your own lives Bruce." Bruce sat, confused as she continued, "People are going to stop... being there for you. They just don't care anymore." Lois shook her head to herself, "I'm sorry that didn't come out right... I'm not saying you all don't care about me. You're the most caring people I'm lucky to have. I'm just saying that you've got your own lives to deal with. You have a life in Gotham, Chloe and Oliver are in Star City, Martha is in Washington, the League, and the rest of the world have their own lives. The world lost a hero that day. And today, they don't remember that their hero had a wife, and a son. Yes, you all lost Clark, your friend, your leader. But you don't understand that I lost the love of my life, my husband, the father of my child. You've all grieved for him and moved on. The rest of the world has moved on. I haven't." She whispered, "I tried Bruce, I really tried. But I was wrong. I thought that I could lie and nod my way through it, pretend like it would all be okay. I thought that I could change who I had become, just move on, create a life without the past, without the pain. I thought I could make myself feel alive again. But it's not that easy. The bad things stay with you. I can't escape it as much as I want to." Lois took an unsteady breath, as she tried to fight the sob in her throat, "You know for months, all anyone's wondered about me was if I was okay. And I said I'll be fine."

Bruce's lips parted as he asked, though already knowing what the answer was, "Did you ever mean it?"

"Not once."

Taking her hand in his, Bruce gave her a gentle squeeze, "And what about now. After seeing Clark Luthor?" Lois stayed silent as she never looked at him. She felt Bruce squeeze her hand again as she took another shaky breath, "It's okay Lo. I promise I won't judge. It's me."

A single tear fell down her cheek, as Lois replied, "I'm fine. I'm really... fine. For the first time in a long time... that pain in my stomach, that ache in my heart... it's getting better."

Bruce swallowed hard as he ignored the unsettling feeling in his chest as he traced circles on the back of her hand with his thumb, "I'm glad." Lois turned her head to face him. Bruce leaned in and kissed her forehead, "Go get some rest. I'll be staying in Metropolis for the time being, so I'm here if you need anything." Lois nodded and gave him a small smile. Bruce nodded foreword, "Go to your son." With that, Lois got out of the car, and went into the farmhouse.

Bruce continued to watch her until she was out of sight, as she entered the house. He finally let out a breath he had been holding for some time, leaning his head back against the seat. The driver scrolled down the partition as he asked, "Where to now Mr. Wayne?"

"Back to Metropolis, only this time it's to my penthouse. We'll be staying for a while." He said as his driver drove out of Smallville.

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><p><em>Back at Watchtower<em>

Kara watched Chloe stiffen in place once she told her there was nothing but ice and snow in the Fortress. Furrowing her brows at her, Kara waited for Chloe to reply, but she was deep in thought as her eyes widened, as if Kara had just shocked her with something. "Chloe, you're kind of freaking me out here what's going on?"

Chloe's face lit up at the sound of her voice interrupting her thoughts, as she shook her head at Kara, composed, but on the inside, her heart was racing, as anxiety was beginning to reign in, "Nothing. I-It's just been a long night I'm rambling. Forget about what I said. I'm sorry you weren't able to get any more information out of Jor-El." Kara narrowed her eyes at Chloe, realizing there was something she wasn't telling her. Chloe swallowed hard, and started walking towards the elevator, "I'm going to get some shut eye, uhmm..." She turned back around and pointed at the room, "You're okay with watching him tonight right?"

Kara stayed silent, and simply nodded her head, eyeing Chloe suspiciously, to which Chloe ignored as she turned away and left Watchtower.

She continued to stare back at the elevators as Kara shook her head to herself, "Chloe what are you hiding?" She whispered to herself.

She focused on her hearing as she listening to Chloe jogging away from Watchtower. Chloe started to hyperventilate as she panicked. There was nothing there? Kara didn't see anything in the Fortress? Maybe J'onn hid him somewhere. Pulling out her cell phone, Chloe stumbled over the buttons as she speed dialed J'onn Jones. Chloe clutched her chest as she waited impatiently for him to pick up, "Come on! Come on pick up!"

_"Ms. Sullivan? What are you doing up this early?"_ J'onn said through the phone.

"J'onn where are you right now?" J'onn heard Chloe's shaky tone and realized something was very wrong.

After a long pause on the phone, he finally answered, taking a sip of his coffee, _"I'm at the police station. Chloe what's wrong?"_

Chloe was fighting back her tears as she was about to break down, pinching the bridge of her nose, she replied, "I need your help J'onn. I... It's a long story but... can you meet me right now?" In one swift movement, J'onn tracked her down and appeared right behind her. Chloe jumped a she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"I take it this isn't just a friendly stroll you're taking in the morning of Earth's New Year." Chloe swallowed hard and wiped a tear that escaped the corner of her eye. J'onn tilted his head to the side, "Chloe talk to me, what is it?"

Taking a deep breath, Chloe spoke up, "I need you to go to the Fortress and tell me if he is still there."

J'onn's brows furrowed and his eyes widened at what she was saying, "Why? Did something happen? Is he awake?"

Chloe winced as she shook her head, which got J'onn all too worried, "I just need you to make sure. I need you to make sure that his body is still there."

"Chloe I don't understand, if you could just tell me what's going on I could help."

"The only way you can help right now is to go to the fortress first and tell me if he's is still unconscious there or not. Please! Once you come back I'll tell you everything, I promise."

After a long sigh, J'onn nodded, weary at the lack of information he was given, "I'll be back in a few hours. I'll let you know as soon as I get back... and then you and I need to talk."

Chloe nodded and watched as his eyes glowed red and took off into the sky. Chloe inhaled the winter scent and looked around her, making sure she wasn't being watched, as she continued walking towards Oliver's loft.

Back at Watchtower, Kara was sitting silently on the couch with her elbows resting against her knee as she listened intently to Chloe's conversation with J'onn. What had been revealed had shocked her to a point where she had no idea how to react. She sat still like a statue, processing it all, unsure of what to do with this new found information. She had to know more in order to understand what Chloe was up to. Who exactly was she talking about? An unsettling feeling rose in the pit of her stomach as Kara had an idea of who Chloe expected to be at the Fortress... unconscious. Burying that idea in the back of her head, Kara continued to listen until Chloe approached the elevator of her loft she shared with Oliver a few blocks away. Once she heard Chloe getting in the shower, Kara stopped listening, taking a deep breath. She started pacing around Watchtower, continuously glancing back at the closed doors; she sighed as she walked over to the doors and faced her cousin's counter-part once again.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

Lois approached inside her home as she gently closed the door behind her, watching Bruce's limousine drive away through the snow. She walked towards the living room and smiled down at Emil who had fallen asleep on the couch with the baby monitor resting on the coffee table. Bending down, Lois gently shook him awake. His light snoring had been interrupted as he snorted awake. Lois chuckled as he abruptly got up, realizing where he was, "Hey, when did you get back?" He asked in a quiet tone.

"Just now. How was your night? Did Chris sleep well?" She asked as Emil began to stand up, grabbing his jacket.

"Like a baby. So did I." He said with a smile.

Lois smiled back and nodded, "I'm glad."

"So, what happened?" He asked while looking down at his watch, whistling in surprise, "Wow it's been like four hours, I bet it was a courthouse drama in Watchtower."

Lois smirked to herself, "Yeah, there was a lot of debating. Unfortunately there's no way to get back the mirror box so he's going to be my responsibility until we figure out a way to send him back. Kara went to the Fortress to find out if Jor-El knows anything we can do to retrieve the box. I'm not sure if she's back or not."

Emil held up his hand, "Hold on... what do you mean he's your responsibility?" he said while his eyebrow rose up.

Sighing, Lois replied, "Long story short, he'll be living with me when I get back to Metropolis."

Emil huffed, "How did you manage to convince everyone to let you do that? Lois do you realize how unsafe that is?"

"I know what I can handle Emil. And it was either that or they keep him handcuffed to a chair in one of the rooms for the rest of his time here like some kind of prisoner."

"And you think him living freely in your home is better?" Emil asked, stunned at the turn of events.

Lois didn't meet his eyes, "Yeah I do think it's better. Instead of working against him we should work with him and imprisoning him isn't going to change him nor gain his trust in letting us help him get back home. We need to work together if we're going to fix what I did." She closed her eyes, guilt consuming her.

Emil saw the distress in her face. He gave her a sympathetic smile and didn't push any further, "I should get going now. Maybe I can do some research and figure out a way to get that box. I did recreate it after all." Lois nodded as he patted her arm and headed towards the door.

"Emil." Lois called out as he turned to face her while his hand was on her doorknob. Lois gave him a small smile, "Thank you again, for taking care of Chris."

Nodding, Emil headed out the door as Lois was finally alone, back at home. She let out a deep breath and wrapped her arms around herself. She didn't want to be alone again. Taking the baby monitor with her, Lois headed upstairs into her room and gently opened the door, walking over to see her son spread across his mattress; sound asleep, with his blanket wrapped around one leg, while he laid like a starfish, sucking on his thumb. Lois smiled down at the scene, as she gently stroked his dark hair, "Hey baby boy..." She whispered in a soothing tone, "Momma's home. I missed you honey." She bent down and kissed the top of his head, closing her eyes as she inhaled his scent. She continued to watch him sleep for a good half hour.

Heading towards the bathroom with the baby monitor in her hand, Lois drew herself a bath. She slowly began to take off her clothes, relishing the freedom of being released from each piece of clothing, her shoes, socks, she slid her top off, and slowly unbuttoned her jeans as she lazily dropped them to the floor. Lois tied her hair in a loose bun as she took of the remainder of her clothes that hung to her, taking off her bra and underwear, she slowly slid into the warm bath water, sighing heavily at the heat that surrounded her body, as she laid back against the tub, and her head leaned against the tile wall, inhaling the lavender scent that surrounded her.

Lois slowly let her eyes shut as she felt her tense muscles begin to relax in the water. She finally let it dawn on her. Now that the night is over, she let it sink in. She brought Clark Luthor into her world. After living without him for so long, too long, he's back in her life again. At the moment, it didn't matter that he was Clark Luthor. It was Clark. Clark... Clark...

No one else felt the same way as her. But she felt like her whole world was coming back to life again. She felt alive again. Just seeing his face, seeing him move around, his deep blue green eyes full of life. Eyes that she continued to see every day in her son. Lois brought her hand out of the water and leaned the side of her head against it, her face scrunched up as she felt that familiar ache in her chest, only this ache was good. It was her heart aching in a good way. And for the first time in a long time, she felt like everything was going to be okay... but she soon realized that was a lie. He wouldn't be staying. He wasn't hers. He was someone she was watching over until he had to go back to his world. To his life. She had no place in it. Lois wondered how her counterpart was in his world. What place she held in his life. Were they together? Did he love the other Lois Lane like her Clark loved her? Was Earth-2 Lois hurting the same way she was? Was she happier? She hoped the other Lois was happy, at least she still has a Clark in her world. Her Clark is dead. She didn't know how long she was going to have him around, but Lois knew it wasn't going to last. He wasn't staying. He had to leave, and he hated her for bringing him here. He hated her. Yes. She could see it in his eyes. He hated her. A sob rose in her chest as Lois began to cry. Tears streamed down her face as Lois silently sobbed to herself, her body shook against the water as she cried so hard, that she had never cried this much in a long time. She kept it together while she was still pregnant with Chris. And again after he was born, she had kept it together for him. And now that she saw him again, and realized just how much she missed her Clark, did she realize how much she wanted to cry. Her chest was aching. Her head ached, her throat, it all hurt. It always hurts. She continued to picture the way Clark looked at her back at Watchtower. She yearned to have her own Clark look at her with his loving eyes. She needed it. After a good 15 minutes. Lois took long, deep breaths to calm herself again. The crying was done. The hurting was done. She had to be stronger than this. She had to be able to handle this she was Lois Lane dammit!

Lois slowly felt limp as she slid down the tub, taking a deep breath, Lois dunked her face underwater and lay still against the smooth floor of the bathtub. She stayed like that for a long time, lying in the arms of the water. She felt at peace under the water. Lois slowly opened her eyes and looked up at the surface of the water, the ripples of the waves flowing above her. Watching the blurry white ceiling of her bathroom. She closed her eyes again, no need to think, no need to feel the pain, no need to speak. She relished in the sound of the water in her ears, as if she was at the beach, listening to the ocean. For once, she didn't feel like she was in her own personal hell. She felt like she was able to escape from it all. For just a moment, she considered laying underwater forever, just be in peace, and let her sorrows drown while his voice echoed through her ears.

"_With you by my side I will never be alone. Though the world sees a strong and independent woman, I've never known someone with such gentle grace and more pure heart. When I've been lost you've always been there to bring me back, so on this day, at this moment, I pledge the rest of my life to you. You've always believed in me, and I believe in you. When you believe in someone it's not for a minute, or just for now, its forever."_

Lois lungs were beginning to give in as she released her breath under water and her face was surrounded by the bubbles.

_"You're a part of me now Clark. A half of a whole. If there's even a chance that the mission might claim my better half, sign me up. Because I'd rather be in some sand blown purgatory with you than in the hell of not knowing if I'll ever see you again."_

She began to lift up her body to the surface, back to reality. Back to life.

_"We have a responsibility. To not put the world at risk for selfish reasons! Which is what you're doing by wanting to see him again."_

Tess' words continued to echo through her ears from all those years ago as she resurfaced.

_"Being with a hero means accepting that hero's sacrifices."_

"_That's where you're wrong. Being a hero's wife, means never accepting defeat."_

Lois sucked in a deep breath of air as soon as her head resurfaced from the water. She wiped away her wet hair from sticking on her face. Taking deep breaths, in and out, she managed to pace her breathing, lying back against the tub, closing her eyes as she took a short nap, reliving her memories. Once she woke up, Lois stepped out of the bath and stood in front of the mirror, staring back at her reflection, back at someone she no longer recognized. Remembering a time when she had just arrived to this small town in search of her cousin. That reckless, naive, rebellious 18 year old, who disobeyed her father, skipped through high school and partied hard in Met U. What happened to her? That girl who didn't have a care in the world for anyone but herself. Whose life didn't revolve around one single person in her life. Not her father, not her sister, just herself. Lois knew the answer to that. That girl met a farm boy, fell in love with him, married him, formed a commitment to the world with him, held responsibility and stability with him, had his son, and lost him. That girl grew up and fell in love. She was staring back at the reflection of a Lois Lane who had only become who she was because Clark Kent had crashed into her life. And now that he's gone, she had no idea what to be without him. He had become her other half. And now half of her is gone. Now... Clark Luthor is here. She could just stare into his eyes and feel that half of her coming back already.

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><p><strong>SOOO what did you thinkkk:P?<strong>

**I didn't put CL in this chapter but I promise he'll be in the next oneee and in two chapterrsss... CL and LL will meet face to face again in the aftermath of the Watchtower sha-bangg:P**

**Please reviewww and let me knoww how I'm doinggg:)**

**Thank you soo much for your reviews from the last chapter btw I'm glad you're liking the plotline and I will try my hardest to keep you all satisfiedd:)!**

**P.S. Next update will take a while as I am still trying to fix my stupid malfunctioned USB cause the universe hates me-.-**


	17. Surrender

Here's the next chapter i have been workingg on:)

Unfortunatly my USB is still in limbo i just havent had time to go and see what's wrong with it yet ive been super busy butt i wanted to throw in this chapter i finished editing. Its a pretty long chapterr:P anyways thank you all for the reviewws i know Lois is very emotional during this time and it's going to get easier for her as time goes by. In this chapter you get a glimpse of the old Mad Dog Lane:) Enjoy! You guys are great btw thanks so much for your encouraging reviews:D!

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Surrender- Digital Daggers<strong>

_**Secret, hidden underneath it, trying hard to keep it safely out of reach. Creeping, I can feel it breathing, calling to the surface, finally in my dreams.**_

_Queen/Sullivan Loft_

Chloe stifled a yawn as she poured herself some black coffee. She walked over to the balcony of her loft, looking out to the city, a quiet, peaceful morning. She wrapped her robe tighter around her, shivering against the cool wind. It didn't take long for Oliver to wake up as she felt him wrap his arms around her, placing a kiss on her temple. "Morning." She said softly.

Sighing, Oliver stood with his wife, taking a sip of her coffee, "I can't believe its still morning. Is it possible that in the past couple of hours, I fought off some thugs in an alley in Star City, drank some nice champagne with you, making it a couple minutes after the clock struck twelve..."

"Hmm I forgive you for that by the way."

Oliver chuckled, "And Tess got us to fly all the way to Metropolis, where we discovered Clark Luthor in our world, got clocked by him in the face, and realized he's not going anywhere anytime soon, and now here we are, after that whole debacle. Finding out that the mirror box isn't anywhere in our world sort of kept me up. How did you sleep?" He waited as Chloe stayed silent, outlining the rim of her mug with her finger, "Chloe?"

He felt her taking a deep breath, turning her head to face him; he noticed the distress in her face, "I didn't get much sleep." She said in a soft tone.

"Well come back to bed then, we still have a couple more hours to spare."

Chloe shook her head, forcing a smile on her face, "No it's okay, I'm fine running off of caffeine for the rest of the day I just... there are just some things I need to deal with."

Oliver furrowed his brows at her "Like what?"

She stared into his eyes for a long while, before she broke contact, "It's just, I have to make sure everything at Watchtower is secure and I have to tell my editor at the Star City Register that I'm taking a leave of absence..." She continued to ramble, hating herself for lying to him all this time. He had no idea what she had been up to the past few months. She knew how he would feel about it and kept him out of the loop until she had good news to share. Now she feared she had lost hope for everyone.

Oliver ran his hands up and down her arms, "Hey, don't worry about any of that okay? We have Tess, and Emil taking care of Watchtower security, and oh yeah right, your husband spoke to your editor." He grinned as he leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, but didn't feel her return it. Pulling back, Oliver scanned her face, he could tell she was worried about something, "Chloe, are you sure you're okay? I mean you've been acting weird ever since you came back from that talk with Lois..."

Chloe swallowed hard, and shifted her weight from one leg to the other, "I told you I'm just overwhelmed with everything. You know it's not every day your dead best friend's evil twin comes into your life."

Oliver nodded in understanding, "I'm here if you need me okay. I know you miss him and it must be just as hard for you to deal with this."

"I'll be fine Ollie." She walked around him back into the loft, "You should get some more sleep, I'll wake you up in an hour okay?"

Oliver shrugged, walking back inside, "I'm fine. In fact I think I might stop by to see Tess. Try and get her back on her good graces."

Chloe nodded, "Good luck penetrating the ice queen's shield" Oliver grimaced which made Chloe chuckle as he went into the shower. She let out a deep breath and set her coffee down on the counter when suddenly she felt a pair of hands grabbed her shoulder, Chloe jumped as she gasped when J'onn Jones stood in front of her. "J'onn! You scared the cr-" He covered her mouth with his hand and placed a finger against his lips indicating her to keep quiet. Chloe waited as she heard the shower running. As soon as they both heard the water, J'onn took his hand off her mouth.

She looked up at him with pleading eyes, hoping to hear some good news. J'onn spoke in a low tone, "Chloe, what's happened?" He hissed, "Tell me what's going on."

Chloe's eyes went wide, "You didn't find his body... it's missing?"

"Did you move him? Did someone move it?"

Chloe shook her head rapidly, "No! No one did anything... J'onn is he alive? Did he escape the crystal tomb?" She asked in a hopeful tone. She felt happiness at the thought of Clark waking up because of the mirror box. But how would that make sense?

J'onn sighed and wiped his forehead, walking away from Chloe, "If Kal-El had awoken, he would've broken through the crystal casket he was in... There would be sign of an escape. The crystal was in perfect condition, no cracks, no signs of penetrating holes, nothing."

Chloe blinked and took a step towards him, "What are you saying? Clark can't be alive?"

"The only explanation I have is that he had been transported from inside the crystal. That maybe he disappeared unconsciously... but I don't understand how that could happen." Her heart started to race again, Chloe leaned against the counter and seated herself, deep in thought, J'onn grew impatient, "Chloe... Please tell me what's going on. Do you know something?"

Chloe met J'onn's eyes and saw the worry in his face. Swallowing hard, she explained to him, "Last night... Lois found the mirror box and activated it. When she did that it brought Clark Luthor into our world."

J'onn raised his brow, "Clark Luthor? From the parallel universe?"

Nodding, Chloe replied, "Yes, Earth-2. The last time it was used, both Clark Luthor and Kent swapped places. Clark Luthor was in our world while ours was in his world, Earth-2."

J'onn's lips parted as he asked, "So you think that Clark Kent... our Clark is in Earth-2 right now? That his unconscious body is in another world?"Chloe chewed on her bottom lips as worry seared through her eyes, nodding at J'onn's hypothesis. J'onn exhaled loudly, wiping his head again, "Chloe I don't know. I've heard about the mirror box and it doesn't seem like it would do something like that?"

"I don't know what else to think..."

"So what are we going to do? I mean it doesn't seem plausible for the mirror box to transport an unconscious Kryptonian like that, especially when he wasn't even the one who had activated it." Chloe was about to answer when she heard the water turn off in the bathroom. She heard Oliver walking out as she grabbed J'onn and pushed him towards the balcony.

"You have to leave! Ollie can't know about this!"

J'onn turned to her, stunned, "Chloe! Even after this you're still going to keep this from them? Clark is missing they have a right to know!"

"Look I don't even know if my hunch is right so until I can give them legitimate information on what has happened we are telling them nothing. They've all been through a lot in the past couple of hours I don't want to pile onto their problems until we can find a solution to this one so please J'onn don't say anything. You promised." J'onn stared back at her, still uncertain.

"Chloe? Do you know where my blue shirt is?" Oliver called out from their bedroom.

Chloe turned back to J'onn, "I know what I'm doing J'onn trust me! Now please, go and I'll call you when I have the chance."

J'onn ground his teeth together, complying with her, "Fine, but I'm going to do some further investigation. Is Clark Luthor at Watchtower right now?" Chloe nodded, "I'm going to ask him questions on what he knows about the mirror box. I won't tell them anything, but Chloe you can't keep this forever... sooner or later they will find out about this and it might come out the wrong way."

With that, J'onn disappeared as Chloe stood alone on the balcony, considering what J'onn had told her, she knew she couldn't keep this from them forever. Not from Lois. But the fact that he's disappeared changes everything. She didn't notice Oliver walking up to her, "Hey, were you just talking to yourself?"

Chloe turned to face him and grinned, "Of course not. Let's go find that shirt."

* * *

><p><em>Watchtower<em>

Kara slowly opened the door without knocking as she let herself in, staring back at Clark Luthor, sitting strapped to the chair, his head was hung low, eyes closed as he seemed to be asleep. As the door opened, he slowly lifted his head up, squinting back at her, adjusting to the light shining through the doorway. Kara slowly walked over to him, pulled up a chair and sat down next to him. Clark eyed her carefully, cautious as to not let his guard down around her. He kept silent as she took out a silver key and uncuffed him. Wincing against the pain, Clark rubbed his deep red wrists; he turned to her in confusion as she held out a plate holding a sandwich. He looked down at the plate and then back up at her, "I thought you might be hungry." He raised his brow, surprised at the sudden gesture, to which Kara smiled back at, "Relax, we're not monsters, we wouldn't want you to starve now would we?"

Clark smirked, "No you'll just take my powers away and keep me hostage in a dark room."

"You blame us?" Kara said, "You do realize the last time you were wandering in our world freely with your powers you tried killing Oliver, Tess and Lois."

Clark huffed as he looked straight, he mumbled, "That was seven years ago. I was going through a phase."

Kara laughed, raising her brow at him, "Yeah right, one of those phases where a kid really hates their parent that they would do anything to get away from them right?" She watched him ball his hands into fists, and she spoke softly, "Sorry, I forgot that was a touchy subject. We have to take precautions and make sure you won't be a threat without your powers."

Clark refused to take the sandwich from her hands as Kara sighed and stood up. As she got to the door, Clark's voice stopped her in her tracks, "I don't understand you." Kara turned to face him as he continued, "You have the same powers as I do, and you're obviously close to this motley crew..." He shook his head, "I just can't figure you out... who are you?" Kara's lips parted, unable to answer him, "Don't think I haven't noticed your slip ups. You don't usually call me Clark and when you do it's like you make so much effort to say it... instead you call me Kal... or something like that."

Kara's brows twitched, "You don't know?"

"Know what?" He asked in an irritated tone.

Kara began to comprehend. This Clark never knew about his origins, where he's from, how much his parents had sacrificed for him, he didn't know any of it, "What do you know about your origins?" Clark wore a confused look, "I mean how much do you know about your powers... and where they came from?"

Shrugging, Clark replied, "Not much. I know I'm an alien, I'm from a different planet that's as far as I know." He turned away from her, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth as he spoke, "Lionel made sure that's all I knew."

Kara sighed as she suddenly felt sympathy for her cousin, but the less he knew the better, "Let's just say we're from the same planet." Clark's head snapped back to face her as his brows rose. He could see the small smile playing on her lips. He suddenly saw her brows twitch as she tilted her head with a distant look on her face. She strode towards him and cuffed his wrists back on the chair.

Clark rolled his eyes, "Of course, just when we're getting acquainted."

Kara smirked back at him, "We have a visitor and let's just say I wouldn't trust him if I were you."

"I thought everyone in your happy-go-lucky group were all trustworthy." Clark said sarcastically.

Kara turned around when she heard the light above the elevators blink. Kara cautiously typed in the password and watched as J'onn Jones entered Watchtower. He nodded at Kara as she nodded back, eyeing him suspiciously after the conversation she heard between him and Chloe, "What are you doing here J'onn?" Kara said in a less than inviting tone.

J'onn raised his brow at her harshness, "Relax Kara I'm just here because I heard what happened earlier." He began walking towards the room as Kara matched his movements, "Chloe told me Clark Luthor is in our world."

"Mhm and what else did you two talk about?" Kara asked non chalantly.

"Oh..." He shrugged casually, "She just filled me in on everything and I was hoping to get some information from him."

"Like what?" He didn't wait for her as J'onn opened the door to reveal Clark still strapped to a chair. J'onn was taken aback, "He looks just like him..." He whispered under his breath. His throat closed up as J'onn turned away, taking it all in. "I was not prepared for this."

Kara wasn't buying his sincerity, J'onn and Chloe were hiding something and she was determined to find out what it was. Clark's voice intervened, "Well have you enjoyed the show now? I know I've got a pretty face but I've had enough with all the gawking and choked up faces get over it!" Kara rolled her eyes at him as J'onn raised his brow.

"I just came by to ask you a couple of questions." J'onn said as he took a couple steps towards him.

"Fire away, I've got nowhere else to be." Clark replied as he shook his wrists at J'onn.

Sighing, J'onn spoke up, "Do you know what happened with your mirror box? You know, the one you have in Earth-2."

"It's not rocket science I know what you're talking about." Huffing, Clark answered him, "It was destroyed. Lionel made me destroy it in my world so that none of us do something as stupid as screwing around with parallel universes again. Tell that to Lane next time you see her."

"Tell her yourself" Kara said with a smirk to which Clark gave her a sarcastic smile.

J'onn continued, "So you're telling me you're mirror box was destroyed before you were even transported here."

Clark leaned forward, "Long before. And if you were planning on somehow taking out your magic phone and call my people to get you my mirror box you need to grow a brain because that was a useless question."

J'onn ignored him and wiped his head, "That would explain why you had been transported here."

"Why did you need to know about it J'onn?" Kara asked suspiciously.

"I'm trying to understand why he was transported here without his own free will." J'onn paced back and forth, deep in thought, "I have to go. Thank you."

As he was about to leave, he felt Kara grab his arm, "You want to fill me in on what else you know?"

J'onn's eyes reverted to the open door as Clark seemed as if he wasn't paying attention, turning to her again, he replied, "I'm just trying to piece the puzzle together Kara-El. How Lois, a human was able to activate it, why it brought this Clark to our world and how we can retrieve our mirror box. Since the one in Earth-2 is destroyed we're back to square one."

Kara nodded, "And how about your conversation with Chloe? Is that trying to piece this puzzle or are you two trying to lead another investigation connected to this one..."

"Kara I have no idea what you're talking about." J'onn replied, confused at her coldness towards him.

Kara leaned in and spoke in a low tone, "I didn't trust you when I first arrived to this planet J'onn, and I have a feeling I should've listened to those instincts."

Stunned, J'onn pulled his arm out of her grasp, "What reason do you have for not trusting me? Kara we're on the same team!" He hissed.

Kara stared him down for a long time before answering, "I know you're hiding something, and I know somehow Chloe's in on it." J'onn's lips parted as he didn't know what to say. Kara sighed, "You know what you can keep your secrets J'onn, but I swear by Rao if it has anything to do with my cousin, or if it has any impact on any of us you're damn sure I'll do something about it."

"Kara..." J'onn spoke in a soft tone while Kara continued to give him a cold stare, "I know you have your doubts but you have to believe me... I would never do anything that would hurt the League. You have to trust me I mean no harm."

"Then tell me what you're up to! Why did Chloe send you to the Fortress" She said through her teeth. J'onn blinked, as Kara continued, "Yeah, I listened in on your conversation a couple of hours ago. If I wasn't busy babysitting, I would've ambushed you two right there! So, are you going to answer me or what?"

After a long silence, J'onn heaved his shoulders, "I'm sorry. I can't do that."

Kara huffed, "You know you can't keep this for long. I have my theories but I have a feeling it's farfetched. You can try and keep your secrets but I assure you I will find out." She narrowed her eyes at him as J'onn gave a small nod and simply left without another word.

Clark rolled his eyes as J'onn left, his eyes glowed red and vanished in the blink of an eye, "I take it he's from our planet too..."

Kara shook her head as she walked towards him and said casually, "No, he's from mars." Clark was taken aback by that.

* * *

><p>After a long drive back to Metropolis, Lois was back in her condo. Unlocking the door, she slowly opened it while Chris was still sleeping in her arms. Gently laying him on her bed, she sat on the edge, while staring back at him. A smile formed her face as she tucked him in. Leaning down, she whispered in his ear, "If you want some delicious breakfast you'll wake up sleepy head." She pulled back at stare back at his peaceful face and chuckled at his still body, "Any day now." Still nothing. Sighing Lois patted his stomach, "Alright Chris. If that's what you want. Mommy will just have to eat your waffles. If you need me just... give me a wail." Lois started to stroke his hair as she began to sir in his sleep. Smiling down at him, she continued to stare down at her son, she whispered softly, "You look just like your daddy. I bet he's looking down at us right now, watching over his baby boy." She swallowed hard as she left the room.<p>

Letting out a deep breath, Lois poured herself a cup of coffee and saw there were four new messages on her answering machine. Furrowing her brows, she listened in on the messages.

_ "Hey Ms. Lane its Jimmy... Jimmy Olsen? Anyways I'm sorry I know it's your day off but I have new leads on our story and trust me you're going to want to come in for this one. I got some new photos to show you so call me back or meet me at the office thanks!"_

_BEEP!_

_ "Lane it's Perry calling answer your phone! Lois... Lois... LOIS!"_

_BEEP!_

_ "Alright Lane this is just ridiculous I know you're home so either you're ignoring me or you're busy chasing a lead. Either way call me Olsen's driving me crazy to try and get you here! If you don't show up I swear I'll kick him in the face."_

_BEEP!_

_ "Hey Legs its Oliver. Just checking in to make sure you made it back to Metropolis safely. Listen don't worry about anything else okay just relax get some rest and spend the day with Chris... Oh I just got your text I'll call you again tomorrow."_

Sighing Lois turning off the phone, and ran her fingers through her hair, "So the rest of the world is still out there." Drinking her coffee, Lois changed into a pair of jeans, a plain white top, as she was putting on her jacket and scarf, when she heard Chris stirring, and she listened carefully, "And cue the wakeup call..."

"Ma-Ma!" He squealed out, as Lois grinned, she walked into the room and smiled down at him, kissing his forehead.

"Look who's finally up from his 20 hour sleep! You know Momma only slept for an hour? Yeah I'm pretty jealous of you right now." Chris wasn't even listening to her as he began pulling at her hair, "We need to take a trip to the Daily Planet buddy." She picked him up and dressed him as they headed out the door, "At least you'll be starting daycare tomorrow."

* * *

><p><em>Daily Planet<em>

Jimmy was tapping his pen against the side of his head, as he continued looking through his pictures, scanning them on the computer and fixing the focus. It was then when he heard her voice, "This better be good Olsen or I'm going to ram you into the shredder! You have no idea what a night I had."

His eyes widened as she stormed into the newsroom. Jimmy abruptly stood up with a smile on his face, "Ms. Lane! You're finally here! Trust me you're going to be so happy I asked you here I have new leads on our mass murderer..." His voice trailed off when Lois put Chris in his arms, "Uhm hey buddy... Lois I'm sorry I got you on a bad time, I guess you couldn't find a sitter..."

Lois waved her hand at him, "its fine Jimmy. Now tell me what you got..." She waited and looked up to see Jimmy was busy playing with Chris, bouncing him up at down, "Don't make me take the kid away Olsen." She threatened while pointing a finger at his face.

Chuckling, Jimmy positioned Chris on his hip, "Sorry, well basically the Metropolis Suffocator struck again last night."

Lois' eyes widened as she grabbed the file Jimmy handed to her, "Last night? Again!"

Jimmy nodded as Lois stared back at the pictures Jimmy had taken at the scene of the crime, "Yep and it's always the same pattern. He kidnapped a 21 year old female this time who was out at a club last night for New Years. According to her friends she was talking to some guy and she left with him and never came back. Later in the morning, her body was found just like the rest of them wrapped up tightly in saran wrap."

Lois stared back at the pictures, "She's just like the rest of them, her whole body was wrapped in saran wrap... judging by the bruises on her elbows and knees I would say she was probably thrown out of a moving vehicle. That's a first the other victims didn't even have a scratch on them." She shook her head to herself, astonished as she looked at the pictures, "Were there any witnesses?"

Jimmy nodded rapidly, "It was New Years Eve everyone was outside but there were only two witnesses but the problem was that they were pretty drunk so they didn't get the license plate but they did however figure out the model of the vehicle, a black 2007 jeep wrangler."

Lois raised her brow, "I guess that's better than nothing. But how can you be sure of the model if these witnesses were drunk."

Jimmy shrugged as he handed Chris a cookie from his lunch, "It's all the police have."

Nodding, Lois flipped the photos to the woman on the coroners table, "You got into the autopsy exam?"

Jimmy smiled proudly, "I did more than get pictures, I figured out how she was actually killed. The other victims were ruled out to have lacked oxygen which lead to suffocation. We thought the victims had died from drowning because of the water entering their lungs which lead to cerebral hypoxia." Jimmy shook his head, "This woman was also ruled to have drowned, but it turns out her body had suffered a high frequency electric shock with signs of fibrillation in the heart." Lois looked at him wide eyed, "I don't think these victims died of drowning. I think they were deliberately electrocuted while dunked in a pool... or a tub or something with water. Electrolytes flowing through the body causing a shock and evidently... her heart stopped immediately before her lungs gave into the water. I overheard the coroner saying the same signs occurred in the others as well."

Lois' hands trembled, as she stared back at the photo of the dead girl, "We've finally ruled out the cause of death. She's the fourth one in the past month... What was her name?"

Jimmy sighed, "Vanessa Jensen, 21, student at Met U."

Lois closed her eyes, slamming her hand against the table, "Son of a bitch" She hissed under her breath.

Jimmy put his hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry Lois, we'll find him."

Lois smiled up at him, "Thanks Jimmy. But all we know now is what this sicko does to these women, and how he kills them. I mean is there a pattern? He takes women in their early twenties, kidnaps them while they're out clubbing, and definitely waits to get them drunk enough to comply with him. After he takes them, he comes back and dumps them on the side of the road wrapped in plastic." She pinched the bridge of her nose. "We don't have any leads on him. Just his victims."

"I also found something that could help us, something the police missed." He took out another picture and handed it to Lois while Chris squirmed in his arms, "That's a shoe print in the mud right where her body was. Maybe he got out to make sure he wouldn't run her over?"

Lois raised her brow at him, "Yeah like he cares if he runs over a girl he's killed."

"Lois this guys is a perfectionist. He keeps the body clean from any marks. I guess he got too sloppy with this one. You notice she's the only one of the victims who had any scratches, only a bruise on her knees and elbow and that was probable because he threw her out the car. Other than that, not a splinter! I'm telling you I bet he got out and didn't realize he left a footprint. And there are tire screeches on the street an 9 inches away from the body. Maybe somebody was in a hurry not to get caught? I mean I guess he saw there were a lot of witnesses outside and so he rushed to get rid of the body before he got caught."

Lois let out a deep breath, "It's definitely plausible. Okay let's scan this picture and see what kind of shoe and size man we're looking for. I'll go see the people Vanessa was with that night at the club and see if they know who she left with."

As she turned around, Lois was stopped by Andy who stood in front of her. She was a mere intern a year ago but now she's a start up as a basement reporter, and a royal pain in the ass. Sighing, Lois gave her a sly smile, "Yes Andy?"

"I heard you got a lead on the Metropolis Suffocator, I was wondering if I could help you out with it?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

"Thanks but we're all set here. This is more of a higher ups story so why don't you go work on the Smallville Harvest Festival or something?" Patting her shoulder, Lois walked around her.

"Lois wait!" Lois sighed and turned around again, "Look I know we've had our ups and downs but it would be a really good experience if I could work on this article. And who better to work with than the Daily Planet's ace reporter."

Squinting her eyes at her, Lois replied, "Sorry champ, you can't sleep your way to get a byline like you did with Collin on 5th. I'm not into chicks, and I prefer working with people who earn their bylines. Jimmy's my sole sidekick on this so go find someone else to hustle."

Andy pursed her lips, "Look, it must be hard not getting laid for some time, but don't get all petty with me and use my... hobbies against me. I'm still committed to this job as much as the next girl."

Lois raised her brow and scoffed, "Hobbies? Is that what the kids are calling it these days? Ha! Good luck getting up here with your 'hobby'." She started walking away, but quickly turned, "Take care of my boy Jimmy or I'll cut your head off!" Jimmy smiled back and saluted her as she walked away.

Andy ground her teeth, she hadn't gotten any interesting stories in the basement for so long since the one she worked on with Collin. Well... working amongst other things. That poor sap, he really thought he had a shot with her after the article was printed. He wouldn't stop calling her for a month... and it was so worth it for her. Sure she got a lot of praise for getting the byline, but no other front page opportunities since then. How the hell did Lois Lane do it back when she worked in the basement? Huffing, she turned to see Jimmy, focusing on his computer screen, while bouncing Lane-Kent Jr. on his knee. Smiling, Andy walked over to Jimmy and leaned forward, looking at the screen over his shoulder "What are you looking at Jimmy?"

Jimmy jumped, and stuttered, "Oh.. Just uhmm... working on my story with Ms. Lane..."

"Ouu really? Well I'd love to see what you're working on. Maybe we can talk about it over some coffee? You can tell me all about the Metropolis Suffocator."

Jimmy gave a shaky laugh and adjusted his bow tie, "Well uhmm, Ms. Lane is the only one I'd share this with. It's kind of our story and if she knew I showed it to anyone else she'd probably kill me."

Andy nodded, drawing circles on his hand with her finger, "It can be our little secret." She winked at him and leaned forward. If she can just get all the information they had found, she can lead this investigation on her own.

It wasn't until she fell forward into the now empty chair did she realize Jimmy had abruptly gotten up. She looked up at him and he stuttered, "S-Sorry! I'm sorry I... I have a girlfriend Andy. I'm not into you. Don't get me wrong! I mean you're pretty and ah... Pretty. I only have eyes for one girl." He said with a sheepish grin.

Rolling her eyes, Andy stood up and straightened her top, "Whatever Jimmy." _Ugh! This was hopeless! _She thought as she was about to leave when she caught sight of a file with Lois' report. Biting on her lip she looked back at Jimmy who was distracted by the little brat as she snatched the report and quickly made a copy of it before heading back down to the basement.

A few hours later, Lois came back to the bullpen, looking distressed as she approached Jimmy's desk. Looking up, Jimmy, asked, "Did you get anything?"

Nodding, Lois signalled Jimmy to get up as she sat down at his desk, sighing, Lois looked around, "Where's Chris?"

Jimmy pointed his finger to the ceiling, "He's hanging out with Perry a few floors up. He didn't like that Chris was distracting our entire floor from working." Lois smirked at that, "So what'd you get?"

"Other than a bunch of college students mourning for their friend?" Lois sighed, "She's was just a young girl who just wanted to have some fun on New Years... and she didn't even make it to midnight." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Jimmy sympathetically rubbed her shoulder, "I asked them if they saw anything suspicious, or if they noticed the guy Vanessa left the club with."

"And?"

"So far I got a tall guy around 6'4, dark hair. They didn't really get a good look at his face. He was wearing ripped jeans, and a dark jacket. Then I went to the club and asked the bartender if they saw anyone slip something in the girls drink. They said it was a busy night so they couldn't keep track of everyone's drink... the bouncer was helpful though. He said he remembered seeing a guy matching my description, looked suspicious. Left the club with the girl at around 11:30 and she seemed to be really drunk, couldn't walk straight and the guy was pretty much carrying her out of the club, my guess is that he drugged her with something. The bouncer saw the wrangler driving away and she was in it."

Jimmy held out his hands, "Lois that's great! Now we know for sure what we're looking for in the suspects. Tall dark male around 6'4, drives around a 2007 Jeep Wrangler! This is huge!" He noticed Lois was deep in thought about something, "Why aren't you more happy about this? We're one step closer to catching this psycho!"

Taking a deep breath, Lois scratched her forehead, "I know it's just... you didn't see them Jimmy. Her friends are a mess over this... I just hope my investigation can bring them justice."

"You're Lois Lane. If anyone can bring justice it's you! I know we'll find him, and it'll be the front page news soon enough, 'Metropolis Suffocator No Longer a Threat to our City' or 'The City's Mass Murderer Caught by Lois Lane'" He grinned making an effort to cheer her up.

Lois smirked to herself, "Thanks. I'm going to work on this some more later when I get home. You did good Olsen."

Jimmy grinned to himself as she patted his shoulder and left to go to Perry's office. Without even knocking on his door, Lois walked into his office just in time to catch Perry playing with Chris. Not noticing she was leaning against the door watching him, Perry continued to make funny faces as Chris laughed hysterically and pulled at his cheeks. It took about another two minutes for him to notice Lois standing there, giving him an amused smile. Suddenly composed, Perry cleared his throat, "You know how much of a distraction your kid is Lane-"He stopped to look her up and down, "I know you've been here a long time but I would've expected a more professional dress code from you." He said taking in her jeans and running shoes.

Rolling her eyes, Lois approached his desk, "Don't give me that Perry. Today's my day off so I can dress however I want if that means I have to be dragged into the office."

"How's the story going? Jimmy was freaking out over his new leads." He said as he continued bouncing Chris up and down.

"We're making progress slowly but surely I will find the Metropolis Suffocator. So far we found out what he looks like, what car he drives, and exactly how the victims have been killed."

"Good. I want you to write an article of what you have so far."

Lois furrowed her brows, "But I haven't finished my investigation yet."

"It doesn't matter Lane you have a deadline you have to meet and if that means you have to work on what you have that'll do. Write the description of the suspect so that the city knows who they're looking for and write a full report on the investigation."

Lois shook her head, "I'm not writing some half ass report! I want to write a full article where I can tell the city exactly who it is! Perry there's more to this story I need to find his motive."

"Lane if the city finds someone who matches your description, someone will come forward I assure you. You're deadline's in two days now chop chop!"

Staring up at the ceiling, Lois let out an exasperated sigh, "Do you realize how many tall dark men there are in this city that drives a Jeep Wrangler? I'm still continuing my investigation. Perry I won't stop until I find this guy myself!"

Perry narrowed his eyes at her, "Lane I know that look, and it's usually followed by you getting yourself in trouble. I'm warning you right now. Let the police lead the investigation and write about what they find. You're an investigative reporter but you're no detective. I mean it back off. What you have now is good enough, write what you have. You're deadlines in two days!"

Shaking her head, Lois sighed, rolling her eyes at how many times he reminded her of her deadline, "Fine. But I won't promise that I'll back off. This guy has killed 4 women in the past month. I want to see if there's a pattern and I want to find out who this guy is. The police follow an investigation by the book. You know better than anyone that with the Lois Lane rules of investigating, I'm bound to find something before they do." She said with a small smile creeping up her face.

Huffing Perry replied, "I'm not about to get my ace reporter the OK to make herself become a walking target. You tend to do that."

Rolling her eyes, Lois snapped back, "I don't always get myself almost killed Perry! I promise if I find myself going too far I'll back off. Promise, I won't go sneaking into the suspect's warehouse or anything. I'll work from home and from the office, interview the people I need to and if something comes up I'll use that. I won't go acting like an impulsive cop."

Perry stared at her for a long moment before replying, "FINE! But you be careful and you share ALL your information with Jimmy. All the people you interview all the places you go to. I know you don't reveal your source, but if you suddenly go missing, I'll know the possible suspects."

Lois nodded and grinned, "I knew you'd cave!"

"Yeah yeah you have that effect on people Lane." He said as Lois took Chris from him, "By the way, how was your New Years Eve?"

Lois gave him an anxious glace, "It was... it was eventful." Perry nodded and laughed to himself as Lois walked away, "Don't stress too much Perry."

As Lois exited his office, Perry continued to watch after her, "You're a good kid Lane. Tough as a nail."

* * *

><p>"Absolutely not! There's no way you in your right mind would expect me to get on board with this it's insane Ollie! " Tess huffed as she paced around her office at Luthorcorp.<p>

Oliver took a sip of his scotch as he sat back against the black leather couch, "Mercy we need to all be on the same side. We need to be able to work together and this is the decision we made so you're going to have to just adjust. Stop being so stubborn."

Tess glared at him, "You're for real about this? I won't adjust! You all decided to make a decision without taking my opinion into consideration. See where that takes you. I'm telling you he's going to figure out a way to manipulate Lois, possibly find a way to kill all of us and run away and you're all going to regret not listening to me."

"How would we regret it if we're already dead?" Oliver started laughing to himself, but quickly cleared his throat when he saw Tess' glare, "You're making this personal-"

"NO! You're making it personal! Expecting him to be civil with us just because he has Clark Kent's DNA IS making it personal! " Breathing heavily, Tess sat at her desk, "When he and I first met before we all met up at Watchtower, he threw my desk against another wall and tried to strangle me to death. He punched you in the face not too long ago and you're expecting him to act like a normal human being? You push his buttons the wrong way he snaps. Why would you risk that? What's the point in all of this?"

Oliver pursed his lips as he continued to look down at his glass, Tess waited impatiently for him to answer, "Because it's what our Clark would've done." Tess blinked taken aback by that answer, "Clark always believed in the good in everyone. I mean for god's sake he didn't believe in killing Doomsday when he was a part of Davis Bloom. He believed his human side deserved a chance."

Cocking her head to the side, Tess replied, "And look how well that worked out for Mr. Olsen."

Oliver swallowed hard, "All I'm saying is that Clark Luthor still has a human side to him, and Chloe's right, we're not the kind of people who would keep a man prisoner for the rest of his life. We owe him a chance so he can see that we're not a threat to him. You know it's just a defense mechanism."

"Oliver he'll use that against us. Maybe there are times when we should take drastic measures to ensure our safety."

"Even though he's not here... this is still Superman's League. We went by his code of ethics because it's something we all need to believe in. And Clark Luthor is going to be here for a long time. Who knows how long, and from now on we're going to have to treat him fairly. If Lois believes she can take responsibility then we have to believe in her. She's a part of our team too Mercy. We give them both the benefit of the doubt."

Tess scoffed, "Don't 'Mercy' me." The corner of his lips curved up as he waited, Tess sighed, "Fine. We'll do it your way. She'll send him back to Watchtower if he screws up?"

Oliver nodded, "If he breaks any rule, we're done treating him fairly and he'll be back to being locked in a room. I promise, but I doubt it'll come to that."

"You wanna bet?"

Oliver chuckled, "I'll bet you my entire case of Toscano Antico Cigars."

The corner of her lips twitched as she answered, "Deal."


	18. Rewind

Heyy guys I'm back againn:)

So I have two chapters that have survived the editing room (Finally) after about 6 re-reads so as a treat I'll be posting this chapter up today and the next chapter either tomorrow or later tonight promise;)! Thanks for the lovely reviewss I know I've been keeping you all long enoughh soo here's the chapterr which kicks off Lois' living conditions with her new houseguestt:D!

Enjoy! Please Revieww:)!

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><p><strong>Chapter 18: Rewind- Stereophonics<strong>

'_**Cause change is okay. What's the point in staying the same. Regrets, forget what's dead and gone. If you could rewind your time, would you change your life?**_

The next morning, Clark was tapping his finger against the arm rest as he sat in silence. Shifting uncomfortably in the chair, the door had swung open and he sighed when he saw Kara along with Oliver Queen, Chloe, and vixen with a battered ego herself, Tess. He smirked at the attempted cold stare she was shooting at him, "So what, another Law and Order interrogation or do you have a mirror box for me?"

"Alright let's just get this over with." Oliver said as they all walked into the room, crossing his arms as he stood in front of Clark.

Chuckling under his breath, Clark said, "You know Queen, back in my world, you're not so much of a leader to build up such a confident stance. In fact I ripped out your last shred of dignity."

"Your point? I'm a very different Oliver Queen, definitely not one to lose my dignity to you." Oliver said, keeping a cool face.

Leaning forward, Clark replied, "How's the jaw? You want me to even it out on the other side?" Everyone sighed as Clark laughed to himself.

"Can we just knock him unconscious and throw him in the middle of a cornfield? That way he'll be someone else's headache." Tess said in an irritated tone.

"Aww sis if you do that who will you go to for a late night booty call?" Tess gritted her teeth as Clark gave her a flawless grin.

Kara shook her head, "Maybe this wasn't such a good idea, keeping him isolated in this room might be better than this."

Chloe smirked to herself, "Don't worry. He won't keep up this facade up for long. It's just a defense mechanism to make himself feel better for having his powers stripped and being tied to a chair by people he's used to doing the same to in his world."

Clark narrowed his eyes at her as Oliver spoke up, "We didn't come in here to be your target practise Luthor. There's been a change of plans. You're going to be moved into more comfortable accommodations."

"And where will that be? A nice hotel with expenses paid for by Donald Trump?"

Squinting his eyes, Oliver replied, "Hilarious. But no, you'll be staying with Lois at her place here in Metropolis."

Clark was stunned, speechless at what Oliver had just said, he looked at every single person in the group, waiting for someone to burst into laughter and admitting they were just screwing around, "You're crazy if you think I'm going to stay there. I'm not going near her!"

"Well it's either that or you stay cuffed to that chair." Chloe replied casually.

"I'd rather this! It's not like I'm going to be staying long. The mirror box will turn up in a day. I can endure another day." He said through his teeth.

They all looked at each other and Oliver sighed, "We found out where the mirror box is."

Clark raised his brow, "If you have it why are you keeping me here? Oh I see... you're all going to miss my face?" He smirked as everyone rolled their eyes.

"Hardly. It's not exactly here. It's not anywhere near this universe."

"Come again?" Clark said as his eyebrow slowly rose up and his face tightened.

"After it was used the first time, Clark Kent destroyed the mirror box, but a member of our team had repaired It under certain circumstances and because of the changes made to it, a human wasn't supposed to activate it and when Lois did that, the box reacted to it and disappeared to a different plane. It's in the world between Earth-1 and Earth-2. Problem is that there is no way to get into that world to retrieve our box so until we find a way you're stuck here for the time being. It could be weeks, months, I really can't say how long. I supposed you wouldn't want to be stuck in here for more than a week." Oliver said.

Clark swallowed hard, if he had his powers he would smash this entire tower to crumble in pieces right now. He spoke through his teeth, "So you're telling me that I'm stuck here for good."

"Not for good, but for a while. We've discussed it and its best you stay with Lois." Kara said.

"And how do you figure that?" he spat out.

"Because!" Chloe was so frustrated, she wanted to hit a chord to shut him up, "You talk so low of us and we've noticed you never said a word to Lois. You can't stand being around any of us and I'm sure you'd never hurt nor disrespect the mother of your child-"

"HE'S NOT MINE!" He exclaimed which startled everyone.

Chloe remained collected as she spoke, "That child shares your DNA, so you're going to need to remember you're not allowed to act like an ass around them like you do around us. And if you do decide to insult, or harm her in any way, she'll let us know and you'll be right back here in a dark room with no windows, cuffed to a chair for the rest of your time here. Probably forever. We would offer you to stay elsewhere, but given the fact that Lois was the one who stepped in for the job, you're her responsibility."

Clark smirked, "Yeah and what if I just walk out of her house Goldie locks? I know enough to make sure you never find me, and I'm not one to agree to house arrest."

Tess leaned forward and spoke in a low tone, "Here, let me paint you a picture. The Clark Kent in this world is believed to be dead. He was a well known reporter with Lois around Metropolis so your face will be recognized. So what will happen if Clark Kent is miraculously wandering around the streets alive? You'll probably be taken by the government, be interrogated for somehow emerging from the dead, and probably have tests run on you. And in the meantime, because you broke our rules, we won't come after you to save you. We'll just let the others deal with you and because you don't have your powers anymore, there's no way you can run away from that. Is that clear enough for you?"

Clark continued to stare her down as Tess wore an amused smile. Sighing Clark spoke up, "I've endured a lot worse than that Lutessa. Your empty threats are worthless."

"You can't do much without your powers Clark." Clark looked up at Oliver, "You can't run for long we will find you and it'll only get worse for you. We're going out on a limb here and trusting you. Now you're going to have to trust us we'll do everything we can to get you back to your world. But you're going to have to work with us man. Take it or leave it."

After a long moment, Clark realized he had no other choice in this, sighing; he gave a small nod, "Alright. Fine I'll take it." He couldn't believe he was following orders from Oliver Queen. His arch enemy. He couldn't wait to get back to his world and stomp all over Queen in his rightful place. He had no power in this world and it was killing him.

Oliver nodded, "Alright. So here are our ground rules, you are not to leave her apartment for any reason. Do not open the door for anyone. We all have a spare key to her place so if anyone knocks it's not us."

Raising his brow, Clark asked, "She gave a free for all pass into her place? Wow..." He rolled his eyes.

Ignoring Clark, Oliver continued, "You do not show attitude, or try and break her things while trying to take the ring off. You do not harm her one bit. If there's a single hair off her head you're back here is that clear?"

Clark rolled his eyes at them, "I'm perfectly capable of knowing how to treat a human being. I am a Luthor after all."

Oliver nodded, trying to hide his smile "Good. So we'll take you to her place now. Kara's going to bring you there and we'll head to Lois' place right now. As soon as we make sure she's ready, we'll let Kara know."

Oliver guided Chloe out as they left, Clark noticed Kara watching Chloe closely, "Are you using your x-ray vision on Sullivan or was there something on her face I missed?"

Kara chuckled as she took out the key and uncuffed him, "It's nothing like that."

"Then what's it like..." He asked in a dull tone as he rubbed his wrists. Standing up, he walked out of the room and relished in the light of the sun that shown through the window, "I never thought I'd ever be in the middle of a prison transfer... let alone be a prisoner."

Kara shook her head at him, "You're not a prisoner, you're just under house arrest."

Clark scoffed at her, "Like I said, prisoner."

Kara didn't respond to him as she turned to Tess, "Are you coming?"

Shaking her head, Tess replied, "Nope. I did my part. Lois and I aren't exactly on 'Hey come into my home!' terms. I'll just be at Luthorcorp, call me if you need anything." Kara nodded.

"Tess is running daddy dearest's company huh..." He said to himself as he watched her leave, "Wonder what he'd think about that."

Kara smiled, "You'd be surprised at the part Lionel played in Clark Kent's life. Much different than the man who was your father."

* * *

><p>Lois' living room floor was a mess, filled with stacks of papers and pictures scowered around her as she sat in the middle. Chris was sitting in his playpen while she had a red marker in her mouth while organizing her papers she had on her investigation. "Alright Metropolis Suffocator... what's your motive for killing these women." She flipped through the background information of each victim, wondering if there was some sort of connection. She stood up and headed to her room to get her sweater. As she did so, reaching in, she froze when her fingers wrapped around something hard. Slowly pulling them out, Lois stared down at the familiar black framed glasses she held in her hands. A smile formed on her lips as she gently ran her finger along the thick frame. "Clark..." She whispered to herself. Hesitating at first, she opened them up and put them on. Smiling to herself, she took them off after a few moments. Tears formed in her eyes as she continued to stare back at them, "I always loved your geeky side. I wish I had opened my eyes back then..." She said softly, thinking back to the time they had spent as teenagers in Smallville, wishing she had seen past the geeky farm boy who she loved to tease, the boy who was her best friend and realizing sooner that he was the man she was destined to be with. Taking a deep breath, she blinked back her tears as she brought the glasses up to her lips, fighting back the ache in her heart as she heard a knock at the door. Carefully putting the glasses away, Lois wiped the tears and strode back through the living room, tasseling Chris' hair as she passed by him; she whipped the door open, surprised to see who it was, "Bruce? I wasn't expecting you today, what's up?" She asked, moving out of the way for him.<p>

Straightening his suit, Bruce walked in, "I just wanted to check and see if you were ready for your new house guest today."

Staring down at her watch, Lois replied, "Well that's not for another hour" Smiling up at him.

Bruce smiled back, suddenly finding the patterns of her floorboard more interesting, "Are you nervous?"

Her smile faded, as Lois chewed on her bottom lip she nodded, "Yeah." She said softly.

"It's going to be a big adjustment... you and Clark Luthor."

"Yeah I know. But I realized yesterday when you dropped me off that this isn't my Clark. He's not... well I'm nothing to him, so I need to get used to that."

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea then. If it's going to be hard to be around him 24/7 Lois just say the word and we'll keep him at Watchtower." Bruce asked in a slightly hopeful tone.

Shaking her head, Lois smile at him, "Don't worry about me. He's my responsibility. I'm the one who activated the mirror box and so I'm the one who should deal with him. Besides..." She shrugged, "This may be a good thing for me in the long run... Maybe this time I'll get a chance to say goodbye." She whispered as Bruce noticed her glossy eyes.

Bruce nodded, giving her a sympathetic look, his eyes went to the piles of paper scattered across her living room, "What happened here? Ground zero?"

Lois chuckled as she turned around, "No this is just a story I'm working on. 'The Metropolis Suffocator'."

Bruce looked back at Lois astonished, "They still haven't found him?"

Nodding, Lois added, "He attacked again two nights ago. Witnesses say they saw the girl walking out of a club with a tall guy 6'4, dark hair, drives a 2007 black Jeep Wrangler, and Jimmy just emailed me cause he found out his preferred footwear when killing these women, size 13 Timberlands."

Bruce whistled at the pictures of the victims, "Quite the description. I'll keep a lookout when I'm on patrol."

"Thanks. In fact I've been doing some investigation myself, I'm trying to see if there's a connection with these 4 women. Maybe an angry ex-boyfriend out for revenge? I just can't get my finger on the connection with these girls" She wondered as she poured herself and Bruce a cup of coffee while he read her reports.

"Well what's their background info, let's start with that."

"Well the first victim, Louise Travis, 24 and a junior copywriter for the _Inquisitor_, no suspicious background behind her, second victim, Christina McWaters, age 20, dropped out of college a year ago in Nashville and moved to Metropolis to pursue a modelling career she had a couple photoshoots done. Third victim, Quinn Weitzman, 27, a well known book publisher for her own freelance company, but she used to be a bartender at 'Claws'. Last victim's Vanessa Jensen, 22, was a student at Met U, majoring in creative arts." Lois pulled out Vanessa's school records and handed it to Bruce.

Bruce scanned through her file and raised his brow, "These victims sound completely random to me."

He looked up to see Lois nodding, "Exactly! But... something doesn't add up I mean there has to be a reason he's killing people, I think I just need to start from the beginning and see if Louise Travis had any police records put down on any crazy stalkers, or if she wrote any articles about someone that would've pissed them off. The _Inquisitor_ tends to have aggressive critics."

"Lois if that's the case I don't want you involved in this! This is a serial killer you're dealing with here. You of all people are bound to get on this guys radar now please don't do any more investigating."

Lois raised her brow, "No way! Bruce I need to catch this guy before he kills another woman!"

"Let the police handle this! Let _us_ handle this just please Lois..." He pleaded, beginning to worry that she'll become the next victim on the list. Anger fuelled inside of him at the thought of that, vowing to never let that happen to her.

Lois held her hand up, "I'm sorry Bruce, but I've gotten too close to walk away now. This man hates these women so much that he wants to make them suffer. He enjoys their pain. Did you know he doesn't drown them? He drugs them, takes them to some abandoned psycho lair, and he dunks them into a pool or a tub or something full of water surrounded by electric circuits and shocks them to death! They have all suffered, they go through massive amounts of high frequency voltage until their hearts just can't take it anymore, it was no peaceful death. And then he wraps them in saran wrap and dumps them on the side of the road. He makes sure there's not a trace of evidence that could lead up to him and now that he's gotten sloppy, I finally have a lead on this psycho! I need to find his slip up, I'm not backing off now!"

Bruce sighed, leaned his hands against the counter, "You're unbelievably stubborn you know that?"

Lois shrugged, "So I've been told." They stared at each other for a long moment, before Lois broke the silence, "I should probably clean up. I can continue this later anyways."

Nodding, Bruce replied, "Just let me know what I can do to help with this. I'll get the League to help so that we can find him during our patrols before you get yourself in trouble. Don't go sneaking into people's houses by yourself."

Smirking Lois nodded "Hey as long as you get me the full scoop I'm game." Bruce laughed as he approached Chris and picked him up, throwing him in the air, while Lois got organized, she turned to face him, "I'm serious by the way, I won't go getting myself into situations where I know how I'll end up getting caught in. I'll be careful." She smiled back at him as if she had read his mind, sensing how worried he was of her. Bruce smiled back, grateful that she had reassured him

After she was done cleaning up, she looked around her place, "What do you think? Is it homey enough? Or is it too homey that it looks like a Stepford housewife threw up all over here?" She took a 360 degree turn and scanned her home, making sure everything was in place.

Laughing, Bruce replied, "You're home looks very nice Lois. Luthor will just be surprised at your kindness towards him considering how much of a dick he is." Lois smiled and sat next to him, "It's so weird, calling him a Luthor. How the hell did that happen?"

Lois smirked, crossing her arms as she leaned against the couch, "Well you know how the Kent's found Clark in the field the day of the meteor shower?" Bruce nodded as she continued, "Well in Earth-2, instead of the Kents, it was Lionel Luthor who found him that day and raised him as his own son, along with Lex and Tess I'm guessing."

"One big happy family." Bruce said sarcastically.

Lois nodded, but she was deep in thought, "It's just amazing how one course of action can change an entire person's life. Clark was raised by the Luthors, and turned into someone dark. I mean we all see Lex as this twisted, evil man, but, I don't know, maybe if he was raised by someone like Jonathan and Martha Kent, his life definitely would've been different, better. He could've been a really good guy. You can't help but wonder, but at the same time, Clark was there for Lex as a friend, he tried to guide him and Lex still turned out this way and look where he is now. I never thought I'd ever say this because I was always anti-Lex, but... I feel sorry for him. Sorry he had a life like this in our world. Sorry he didn't have a loving family, and now that I see it happened to Clark in another world... I mean I can see it in his eyes that he's been neglected from love, and so all there's left is hate, and spitefulness. I've never seen so much hate in his eyes before... That's all Lionel's doing." Lois said with bitterness in her voice.

Bruce listened intently as he considered her words, understanding now why she wasn't so quick to judge Clark Luthor the way the rest of the league had. Clearing his throat, Bruce decided to ask about something that had been pulling at him. Staring back at Chris' bright blue eyes, he asked Lois, "So what's the deal with him and Chris anyways?" Lois turned her head to face him as he continued, "I mean you two didn't really interact at Watchtower... what does he know about your life?"

Lois sighed, "Well he knows Clark Kent was my husband and that Chris is our son."

"How did he take it? I mean even though he's not his son... they're still somewhat genetically related."

"Yeah... I didn't even need to tell him about Chris. He just burst into his room and saw him. Once he saw Chris I guess... he just knew. He knew exactly who this baby was." She took Chris's hand in hers and gently squeezed as Chris giggled down at her.

"It must've been a shocker. I wonder how he's going to adjust being around a baby, knowing that some version of himself is a father to this little guy."

A small smile formed on her lips, "I doubt he'll even get five feet close to Chris... Honestly I don't even know what to expect from our time together."

There was another knock on the door as Lois got up to get it. Chloe and Oliver entered the house, "Hey cuz..." Chloe's eyes went to spot Bruce sitting on the couch with Chris in his arms and she looked surprised at him, "And Bruce? I didn't know you were still in Metropolis."

Bruce stood up and greeted them while Chris clung to his neck, "Yeah well plans changed, I've decided to stay here for a bit until this whole thing blows over. Hopefully catch the 'Metropolis Suffocator'."

"Oh how's your story going with that by the way?" Chloe asked, seeming interested in her cousin's latest investigation.

"I'm getting somewhere that's for sure. I'll fill you in on it later." Chloe nodded and smiled at Lois.

Oliver sighed and put his arm around Chloe's shoulder, "So, we just finished laying out the rules to Luthor and we're going to tell you the same." Lois nodded as he continued, "He is never allowed to leave this place. Ever. For any reason. He is not allowed to be an ass to you or get close to Chris when you don't want him to. If he breaks any rules or makes you feel like you can't handle him you let us know immediately and we bring him back to Watchtower and he stays there. You got that?"

Lois rolled her eyes, "Yes. I promise if he crosses the line, he's all yours for the thousandth time Ollie!"

Oliver nodded and Chloe spoke up, "We'll be making frequent checkups, make sure he doesn't go through a rage blackout or tries to flee." Lois chuckled at that.

Taking a deep breath, Bruce asked, "You ready for this?"

Lois turned to him and nodded, "I'll be fine." He stared back at her for a long time before she gave him a knowing smile and nodded that she actually meant it.

Oliver shrugged, "Alright. So I spoke to Tess yesterday and got her to be at least okay with this so the next time you two see each other... please no hair pulling. Although that'd be hot." Chloe nudged him in the ribs as he laughed to which Lois rolled her eyes. He pulled out his phone, "I'll text Kara and let her know its okay to come." He stopped and looked up at her, "You sure you're ready?" All eyes turned to her, waiting for a response.

Lois took an unsteady breath and nodded while she watched Oliver send out the text. This was it. She was going to see him again. She jumped at the sudden knock on her door, how long had she been out of it? Then again, Kara was faster than a speeding bullet. They all watched her as Lois simply stared back at the door, gripping her hands together. She could feel her heart pounding through her ears. She could do this. She could do this. She swallowed hard and her legs felt like they weighed a million bricks as she took each step. She stopped midway and stopped breathing as the knocking continued. Lois closed her eyes and took a long deep breath. Chloe gripped Oliver's hand as she watched Lois. Oliver leaned in and whispered in Chloe's ear, "She can't do this." He said, voicing his concern.

Chloe's grip tightened on her husband, "Give her a chance. She can do this."

After ten seconds, Lois slowly raised her hand and opened the door. Standing before her was Kara who gave her a warm smile, and Clark stood next to her, but he didn't dare look at her as he kept his eyes low. Lois moved out of the way without another word and let them both in. Kara raised her brow at the rest of the gang as she continued into the living room. Clark took in her home, it looked warm and homey, cappuccino colored walls, a fireplace surrounded by leather couches, a glass dining table, the kitchen was rather large but looked like it was never used except for the coffee machine. He stood before the gang and took a glance at Bruce who was holding her son. _Their son_, he thought to himself. Something stirred in him as he saw Bruce holding him, he felt a pang of jealousy at the sight of the baby boy looking comfortable in his arms. Somehow the picture didn't seem right. They all stood in awkward silence before Oliver clapped his hands, "So this is where you'll be staying. Lois will show you around. Lo if you need anything call us and we'll be here. Besides, we're all in the same neighborhood anyways." He said grinning to himself.

"We'll see you guys later then. We'll call you when we have any updates." Chloe said and gave her cousin a quick hug and whispered in her ear, "You'll be okay." Lois smiled back at her as they left.

Kara turned to Clark and gave him a nod, "No funny business Clark. You know the rules." Clark smirked at her as she left, shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation he was in.

Bruce put Chris down in the play pen and walked over to Lois, "You sure you'll be alright on your own? I can stay if you want?"

Lois shook her head, "I'll be fine." Bruce nodded, and turned away, but Lois grabbed his arm, "Did Ollie fill you in on what happened with the mirror box? What Kara found out from Jor-El..." Her voice trailed off, waiting for him to answer.

Bruce glanced back at Clark who glared back at him before he answered her, "Yeah they told me." He cleared his throat, "Emil, Kara, and Tess are trying to find a way to get into that portal."

Lois nodded, "Let me know if they find out more." Bruce nodded and gave her a small smile before leaving her apartment. She went to close the door and returned to the living room to see Clark simply staring down at Chris, who gaped back at him. Lois cleared her throat uncomfortably and he didn't react, "Can I get you anything?" No answer. He completely ignored her, keeping his eyes on Chris as his forehead creased, deep in thought of the little boy before him, unable to wrap his head around the fact that it was his in some way, "Here I'll show you around." Lois' voice interrupted his thoughts.

"It's pretty clear where everything is." He said bluntly not meeting her eyes.

"Okay... well at least let me show you where you're going to sleep." She began to walk past him.

"Couch is fine."

She gave an exasperated sigh, "There's a spare bedroom, you don't need to break your back."

"Whatever" He mumbled, Clark turned away and walked around her condo while Lois watched him.

She didn't know what to say to him, where to start, letting out a deep breath, she walked towards him, with his back towards her, "I know you're pissed at me... well pissed at a lot of things... but if you have something to say to me, or if you have any questions at all about... you know, I'm all ears."

Clark scoffed at her, while he twirled his gold ring around his pinkie out of habit, "Well I can figure it out all on my own Lane. You're husband dies and so you forced a replica of him out of his world so that you can fill that big black hole in yours."

Lois slowly blinked, and spoke in a quiet voice, "I know I've created... an inconvenience for you and I am sorry. Okay I didn't mean for it to get out of hand I made a... a poor decision. I didn't realise what it would do, what sort of a ripple effect it would create." Clark smirked to himself at that, Lois took a step towards him, "Look, I know this isn't what you wanted. I know this is way out of your world, far from what you're used to but... for now this is what you're stuck with okay. You're stuck with me... so can you try to make the best out of it and give me a break here." She waited for Clark to answer but he didn't reply, "I mean who knows maybe in the long run... we can be friends." She said with a small smile.

For the first time since he'd arrived, Clark turned to face Lois and looked her in the eyes. It was what he saw in those eyes which scared him, made his stomach turn, give him a weird feeling in his chest. The reasons he refused to look at those hazel eyes, definitely not the ones he's used to. Swallowing down those feelings, he looked her dead in the eyes and spoke in a stern tone, "Would you do it again?" Lois blinked, "If you could go back and get a second chance, would you have activated that mirror box again? Would you have sucked me here all over again?" Lois stayed silent at that, Clark shook his head at her, "See that's what I thought. You're not sorry at all Lane, you're just sorry it didn't work out the way you had planned it to. You don't regret your decision so why should I give you a break? You didn't think about how this would affect other people's lives which you made worse." His eyes went to her son as he was playing with his toys. Swallowing hard, he turned back to Lois, "I'm just here because I have no other choice, and when they find that mirror box, I'm gone, and I'll make sure I take it with me so I can destroy it and never see your face again." With that, he walked away to the balcony, looking out at the city, leaving Lois alone. She stood frozen in place, stunned and hurt by his words which pierced through her like a knife. Closing her eyes, she fought back tears, breathing in and out slowly. Clark let out a deep breath, he continued to twirl his gold ring around his pinkie, soon after he heard shuffling behind him and the door open and close again and he knew he was alone. He couldn't stand being here. He couldn't take it, being in a world where he was a father, a loving husband, someone he definitely wasn't. This wasn't his world. In his world, Clark Luthor controlled everything and everyone around him. And he did it all alone. This? He had no control of.

* * *

><p>Chloe had cautiously walked into the Metropolis police station and waited at the entrance until J'onn came to get her. When she spotted him, she gave him a confused look, "I got your text telling me to meet you here. Did you find anything we can work on?" J'onn didn't answer her right away, he scanned their surroundings, and made sure no one was listening. Chloe watched him thoroughly, "J'onn what's going on why are you acting all paranoid?"<p>

J'onn cleared his throat and spoke in a low tone, "I needed to make sure you weren't followed."

"By who?"

Feeling conflicted, J'onn decided to tell her, "Kara knows."

Chloe's eyes widened, "What do you mean she knows?"

"Well she doesn't know about Clark and the Fortress, but she does know we're hiding something."

"How do you figure that?" She asked, looking around to make sure a certain blonde wasn't around.

"Chloe when you left Watchtower to speak to me Kara somehow got suspicious and listened in on our conversation." Chloe went stiff, "She didn't quite get what we were talking about but she knows we were hiding someone in the Fortress... and I'm pretty sure she has an idea of who we were talking about. She confronted me later that night when I went to Watchtower and warned me that she's onto us." Chloe exhaled loudly and sat on a chair nearby, "Chloe I'm telling you she's going to figure it out and it might get ugly. She doesn't trust us and thinks we're working against the League."

Shaking her head, Chloe exclaimed, "Working against the team? I'm trying my hardest to bring my best friend back to life, the LEADER of their team!"

"I think they would understand that if you just told them-" He was interrupted as Chloe stood up, shaking her head.

"No..." She paced back and forth.

J'onn sighed and walked towards her, "Chloe-"

Chloe spun around to face him with distress in her voice, "J'onn we've lost Clark! We lost his body okay, and we don't know if he's still dead or alive! And until we find out where he is we're telling no one about this!"

J'onn stared back and replied, "I may have a lead." Chloe waited, "The mirror box in Earth-2 was apparently destroyed long before Lois activated ours. Now a mirror box would only swap both counterparts if both mirror boxes from each world exists. If only one exists, then only one counterpart would be transported. I'm almost 100% certain Clark Kent isn't in Earth-2."

Chloe raised her brow, "So where is he then?"

J'onn shook his head, sighing in frustration, "I honestly don't know. But at least we can rule one scenario out."

"One scenario?" Chloe exclaimed, "J'onn that was our only scenario! If we rule that out we have NO idea where Clark is. Whether he's unconscious or not, he's nowhere near this galaxy. So what, he's in a different plane of existence?"

"I can't tell you that right now, but there has to be an explanation to this." Chloe ran her fingers through her hair, full of worry when she spotted Lois across the street, coming out of her car, while she placed Chris in the stroller.

"I'll talk to you later about this. We'll meet when we have any clues as to where he is, this is obviously still connected to the mirror box, I just don't know how. In the meantime I'll deal with Kara. Just please do whatever you can in your power to find him. I don't want to have to tell my cousin I lost her husband's body trying to bring him back to life." With that, she left the police station and walked towards Lois, calling out for her, "Lois!"

Lois looked up to see Chloe crossing the street towards her, "What are you all stalking me now." She asked playfully.

"Just passing by cuz. What are you doing here anyways? Did you leave Clark alone in your house?"

Chloe watched her expression change, her smile faded and she replied, "I'm just getting some food for dinner."

"You're going to cook?" Chloe let out a laugh while Lois rolled her eyes at her, "I'm not sure poisoning him is a way to get on his good side."

Lois sighed and tapped her foot, "I don't think there's anything I can do to get on his good side. As far as I'm concerned I'm just the woman who took him away from his life potentially for good." She shook her head to herself and added, "And for your information I'm buying take out!" She said while sticking her finger in Chloe's face.

"Retract the weapon Ms. Lane." They both laughed together, "You gotta give it some time Lois. I mean remember how you and Clark didn't get along the first time you met? Somewhere along the way you two became friends."

"Yeah well these circumstances are a lot more different Chlo." She sighed and asked, "Have you found any way to get the box back?"

Chloe shook her head, "We're working on it. We're possibly looking into a way to create a replica of it but it's going to take a while."

"How long?"

"I'm not sure, Emil's just starting to make a plan now, but considering the fact that we'll be collaborating human technology with Kryptonian... it could take a while to get it to work."

Lois nodded, "Well let me know if you make any progress." Chloe smiled back, "You wanna help me and Chris buy Chinese food?"

Chloe chuckled, "We've lived in Metropolis since the beginning of time, buying Chinese food is my expertise."

Lois laughed, "Yeah but now you're living in Star City you traitor."

"Hey! I'm not a traitor; I've just... created a new life there. Besides, change is good."

Lois put her arm around her cousin, "Don't you miss the life you had here?"

"Sometimes, but I spent most of it locked up in Watchtower ever since Jimmy died, unable to truly face the real world... there's just too many bad memories here. And since I've been with Oliver, I've created better memories in Star City, there's nothing holding me back there and I get to have a real life with the man I love. I miss Metropolis, but not so much that I regret leaving."

Lois nodded, "I'm happy for you cuz." Chloe smiled at her as they walked to their favorite Chinese restaurant.

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><p><strong>Next chapter's coming very very soon... like tomorrow:P!<strong>

**Hope you had a good read, I know their encounter was brief thats why I'm updating fast so I won't have to keep you guys hanging any longer Lois and Clark Luthor will dominate starting from next chapter not so much JLA interaction, anymore promise:D!**


	19. Fallen

What is this? An update already? UHM YES just like I promisedd;)

So here's the chapter with some more clois timee ENJOY and pleasee leave your comments you guys are great and I love the encouragement:)3!

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><p><strong>Chapter 19: Fallen- Sarah McLachlan<strong>

_**We carry on our backs the burden, time always reveals, in the lonely light of morning, in the wound that would not heal. It's the bitter taste of losing everything that I've held so dear. I've fallen, I have sunk so low, I messed up, better I should know. So don't come round here and tell me I told you so.**_

"Alright, so on a scale of 1 to 10, I think we've exceeded the limit of the number of food trucks and snack bars we've visited in the past two hours." Chloe joked as she held Chris in her arms while feeding him a pretzel.

Lois chuckled as she placed another bag full of snacks in the stroller which was now full, "You can't have enough junk food, I can live off of these and at a time like this I think we all deserve to fall into a sugar coma." Chloe smiled back at her.

"Well you're considered the dream mom for buying your kid bags and bags full of junk food."

Lois looked at Chloe in disbelief, "Who said I bought this for Chris? Nope, this is all for me, he can enjoy his carrots and peas." Chloe's jaw dropped at her cousin as she walked with her head held high.

"You're so sweet Lois." She laughed, looking at her watch, Chloe raised her brow, "Oh wow we've been roaming the city for a while I lost track of time... I should get going."

"You sure you don't want to hang out some more? I feel like I haven't hung out with you in so long just for fun." Lois pouted.

Chloe pursed her lips as she studied her cousin, "Are you sure this isn't your ill fated attempt to dodge Clark? You know if I didn't know any better Lane I would think you're trying to prolong going home as much as possible."

Lois sighed to herself, "He just doesn't want to be around me. He blames me for everything and I don't think he's going to change his opinion of me any time soon."

"Does he really have a choice? Lois if this is too weird for you or too hard we can just bring him back-"

"No, he doesn't need to be treated like a prisoner." Lois responded.

Chloe tilted her head at Lois, "You got to give it some time Lo. This is all really overwhelming for him. He didn't exactly have a choice in all of this and he's blaming you. Just try and get him to understand you, and let him know he's staying under your roof and he can't be an ass." Lois smirked at Chloe as she continued, "Show a Luthor who's boss for once." She teased.

Lois nodded in agreement, "I get it..."

* * *

><p>Once Lois had gotten to the doors of her home, she stared at it for a moment, taking a deep breath, she turned to her son, kissing his forehead, "We can do this." She told him softly. After fumbling for her keys, she managed to make it inside, struggling with all the bags and the baby in her hands. There was nothing but utter silence, as she entered, no one in sight. Furrowing her brows, Lois put Chris down in his play pen, and looked around. Everything looked in order, but there was no sign of him. Panic rose in her chest as she rushed to the living room, then the kitchen, no one there. "Clark?" She said out loud. No response. Wincing to herself, she hoped to god he didn't take off. She walked towards the spare room, and opened the door. As she barged in she came to a stop and she relaxed as she saw Clark lying on the bed with his hands behind his head, simply staring at the patterns of the ceiling. Letting out a deep breath, Lois, stood at the doorway staring at him, "I called your name you know..."<p>

Without a single glance, Clark replied, "I heard you."

Titling her head to the side, she said softly, "You could've let me know you were here. I thought you took off while we were gone."

She saw the corner of his lips twitch before he spoke, "This may come as a surprise to you, but I know how to keep my end of a bargain. I can follow rules."

Her lips parted as she spoke up again, "Well, I got some food. I hope you like Chinese." He didn't respond to that, he simply continued to stare up at the ceiling. Lois watched him closely, "I also got some junk food, I think I went overboard with that so if you're craving some maple candy, or soft pretzels, cotton candy, or any of that, I'll let you know where I keep my stash." She said with a smile, hoping to lighten up the tension, digging her hands in her pockets.

"I'm not some ten year old kid you're babysitting Lane. Sugar's not going to get me to like you so stop trying so hard. That's not going to lessen your guilt." He said with a smirk.

Lois' smile faded as frustration built up inside of her, "So you're just going to sit here in this room, and expect the bumps on the ceiling to keep you company until you get out of here? I'm trying to get us on good terms, is that really a terrible thing for me to do here? You're not going to at least give me the benefit of the doubt?"

Clark sprung up and sat on the edge of the bed, staring her down, clasping his hands together, "I don't have to. You brought me here for your own selfish reasons. You don't know me and I don't plan on being best friends! Just cause Clark Kent is dead, doesn't mean you can spring me from my world whenever you want. And now, I may never be able to get back to my life and that's on you. You brought this on yourself. So thank you for taking me down with you. I don't have to be acquainted with you to live here, in fact I don't give a flying f*ck about you. Don't expect any gratitude from me just because you sprung me out of Watchtower prison. I don't owe you anything, you caused this and I'm going to make sure it won't be easy on you."

She felt the tears burning in her eyes, staring at him for a long moment as he laid back down on the bed, continuing to look up at the ceiling. Swallowing hard, Lois spun around to leave, but froze at the doorway; her lips trembled as she tried to compose herself. It took all her will power to turn back around to face him, crossing her arms tightly as she spoke in a soft tone, lingering in the doorway, "You know I used to have one of his shirts that smelt just like him, and I slept with it every night, just so I could feel close to him." She wore a distant look as she spoke, smiling inwardly, "I swear it was like he was really with me, sleeping right next to me. I slept with it every night, until one night, it started to smell more like me than it did him. And so I tried every detergent I could find on it... just trying to find that smell. And I couldn't... it was gone. That reminder of him was gone." She choked up as she continued, tears burning in her eyes, "Sometimes I test myself, you know, just to see if I can find that smell, and once in a while I could... but it got harder and harder." Lois wiped the tear that escaped her eye, "It wasn't my intention to find the mirror box and activate it, but when I accidently found it, I was at a place where I was getting farther and farther away from the memory of my husband. I activated it because... just for a minute... I wanted to find that smell. Just for a minute. I didn't think, I just did it and I didn't care about the consequences. So yes, maybe I'm selfish for not regretting what I did, but are you really going to hold it against me for just wanting to remember him? I didn't mean for it to go this far okay, I didn't mean for you to be stuck here with no way back to your own life. I'm just asking you to cut me some slack and hopefully you'll be able to go back to your world soon enough and forget this ever happened." She stared back at him with pleading eyes, "Please." She whispered. Without waiting for a response, Lois left the room, leaving Clark alone.

He watched her leave, letting out a deep breath, a sudden feeling sinking in his chest. He laid back against the bed. Clark kept trying to drift asleep, but his thoughts continued to go back to Lois and her last words. Why was he feeling differently about this? As if he felt sorry for her. Pity. Clark Luthor never feels sorry for anyone. That shouldn't start now. Not for her.

The next day, Clark continued to stay in his room as he heard shuffling coming from the other side of the door. He closed his eyes as he heard a knock. Without answering, Lois entered his room, holding out a bunch of folded clothes. Silently laying them on the edge of the bed, she spoke up, "I'm pretty sure a rich boy like you likes to stay clean so I brought you some clothes. Don't worry, it's not his farm boy wear, in fact I always teased him about it until he finally retired the plaid." She smiled at him while he stared at the ceiling, "I take it you like dark colours so this is all I could find. You two are the same size so I don't need to worry about that..." Her voice trailed off as she stared back at his face. Clark's face. After a whole year without him he still took her breath away. Taking a deep breath, she continued to speak seeing as he wasn't going to carry out the conversation, "The showers the second door on the right side of the hall if you want to freshen up. And there's leftover Chinese food... and I saw a big green bird fly by, my kitchen caught on fire by an monkey earlier this morning, someone broke into the house and stole my TV-" She stopped talking when Clark's eyes snapped to hers, his brows furrowed at her as she broke into a smile, "Just wanted to make sure you were listening. Now that I know your hearing isn't impaired... shower's the second door to your right." Clark smirked and shook his head to himself, without a single reply. Sighing, Lois asked, "Are you going to say anything, or are you just going to lie there forever by yourself?"

Tilting his head at her, Clark replied, "Like I said, I'm not looking to make friends here. I'll mind my own business if you mind yours."

Lois rolled her eyes and started out the door, "Well if you ever want to talk... I'll be around. By the way, Oliver's going to be coming by to see how your first night here was... or more specifically if I survived one night with you so far... I guess I'll just tell him you were a hoot."

"You do that." He said sarcastically. Shaking her head to herself, she closed the door behind her and walked back to the living room as she sat herself down, looking through her notes, while Chris continued watching his cartoons. Half an hour later, she heard the shower running. Smiling inwardly, she turned to her son, "We're making progress. He's left his room." Chris laughed at his mother as she continued to highlight her notes. Once the shower was done, Clark returned to his room and stayed there for the rest of the day, staring back at the blue kryptonite ring, figuring out ways to take it off.

A few hours later, Lois heard a knock on the door and Oliver walked in with caution, "So no World War 3 outbreak?" Rolling her eyes at him, Lois walked back to the couch, as Oliver swung Chris up in his arms, "How you doing sport?" Chris giggled as Oliver continued to swing him in the air. "You doing okay so far?" He addressed to Lois.

Lois sighed and replied, "Well as best as I could be, he hasn't left his room pretty much since I got back from doing groceries... yesterday."

Oliver scoffed, "What, is he four years old or something?"

Shaking her head, Lois replied, "He just doesn't want to be around me. I think he's gonna die of boredom though."

"Well as long as you're fine with it. I'd rather he be like this, that way he'll just leave you alone until we can get rid of him. We're doing everything we can to find a solution to this."

"Chloe told me you were looking into making another mirror box." Lois said with a slight hint of disappointment in her voice.

Oliver nodded, "We're going to need Kara to go to the Fortress and get some more Intel on it so we know how to start working on that. With the Fortress' Kryptonian intelligence, we're bound to get somewhere; I mean Jor-El taught Clark everything about his home planet and its given technology so we're bound to get something from him."

Lois nodded, thinking to herself, clearing her throat, "Maybe Jor-El could do that thing when he used Lionel as a vessel to store all his intelligence in, but on someone else. Emil could possibly use that intelligence since he's the mastermind who's going to recreate it."

Oliver shook his head, "No that's way too dangerous, we'll just see what Jor-El can give us himself." Nodding towards the closed door, he asked, "Is he in the mood for visitors?"

Raising her brow at him, Lois shook her head, "I doubt it Ollie. And if you go in there I'm pretty sure you'll come out with another broken jaw."

Rubbing his jaw, Oliver replied, "Yeah you're probably right... I guess my job here is done." He turned awkwardly to leave.

"Quite the exciting day Green Arrow" Lois teased as she walked him out the door.

"Oh trust me I've had my share of excitement for the rest of the week. These check-ups are a good change up. Have fun!" He said as Lois closed the door on him, unaware that Clark had listened in on them through the doorway, his forehead creased as many questions formed in his head... and Lois Lane clearly had the answers.

Once, Oliver had left, Lois was alone once again, as she took occasional glances at the closed door. She wondered what he was doing, how he was feeling. Walking towards her own room, she ran her fingers through her hair as she felt her throat close up. She slumped down onto the edge of the bed and silently paced her breathing. He was right there. Right next door, within touching distance and there wasn't anything she could do about it. She couldn't be embraced by him, she couldn't talk to him, tell him how her life was without him, and she couldn't kiss him. Looking up at the ceiling, a single tear fell down her cheek as she inhaled deeply, whispering, "I still miss you baby..."

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><p>The next day, Lois woke up to see Clark standing outside in the balcony, looking out at the city. She noticed he was wearing dark jeans, with a navy blue collar shirt, definitely a change up from the fancy suit he wore. Wrapping the robe around her, she walked outside, holding two cups of coffee as she hesitated while approaching him. As she took a few steps forward, Lois froze when he turned to face her, "I might not have super hearing anymore, but your breathing is louder than the police sirens down there."<p>

Lois smirked as she continued to approach him and stretched out her hand towards him, "I thought you might like some coffee."

He looked down at the cup and turned away from her, "I'm not a coffee person."

She huffed as she put the cup down on the table she had outside, "So you're a scotch person all day and night?" He didn't answer her, "I'll take that as a yes. I have that too. I don't know what it is with you billionaires and your glass of scotch glued to your hand all day."

"If you don't like it then why do you have some? Saving some for when Wayne visits?" He said with a straight face.

Lois furrowed her brows in confusion, "No? I never said I didn't like scotch, I just see a pattern between all the rich boys I've met. Ironically my dad was also a scotch person, so I'm prone to it."

Clark slowly nodded, "Is he a four star General in this world too?"

She tilted her head with a smile, "Looks like some things remain universal in every world. Yeah, he's General Lane here too. I take it you two have butted heads?"

"My father used to do business with him... creating weapons for the military."

Lois nodded, "I hope daddy was smart enough to turn down Lionel's nuclear weapons..." Clark didn't answer her, and she realized she didn't want to know the answer to that.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to leave when he spoke up again, "I heard your conversation with Oliver yesterday." Lois paused at the doorway and turned to face him, "You were talking about the Fortress... that's a part of where I'm from isn't it?" Lois tilted her head as she listened. Clark shifted his weight from one leg to the other, running his hand through his hair while his back was to her, "Look I know I said I was gonna mind my own business and I don't want to be curious about him, Kent. I don't want to be curious okay, I don't, but I can't help it. I just am. I never knew anything about where I'm from. All I know is that I'm an alien and this guy... he knows everything about himself... everything about me..." His voice trailed off as he turned his head away.

Lois took a step towards him, "You know you can ask me anything."

Swallowing hard, he turned to fully face her, "How long have you known me... him for."

She blinked, taken aback by that question, after composing herself, she replied, "I met him when I was 18, so I've known him for eleven years."

His brows slowly rose up, "Eleven years... When did you find out about him?"

She chuckled to herself as she looked down at her mug, "Well he didn't tell me about himself till years later actually, about 7 years later."

"He kept this from you for seven years." He smirked to himself, "I guess it took a while for him to trust you then. You do have a big mouth Lane."

Shaking her head to herself, she retorted, "He didn't tell me to protect me. For years when he was young he always thought of his powers as a burden, and until he realized that they were a gift, that's when he trusted himself to tell me. It wasn't a matter if he could trust me. Back then he didn't want any of his loved ones to carry the 'burden' with him by knowing about him." She gestured air quotes with her hands as she spoke, "But once he told me, he shared things with me he never shared before, and I helped him reach his potential. He had to learn to embrace his powers and trust himself for who he was before he could trust anyone else with his secret." She swallowed back, thinking about her husband hurt so much, all those memories she could never relive. But as she stared back at Clark Luthor, that ache in her heart went away, she felt at home.

Clark watched her closely, realizing this woman understood depths of him that he never shared with anyone else. It wasn't fair, that she knew so much about him and his private life through somebody else. There was something nagging at him as he hesitated to ask, "So you know everything about him... me." Her brows twitched as she nodded, wondering where he was going with this. Clark took a deep breath, finally building up the courage to ask what he's been wondering since he met Kara, "What's my name?" He mumbled.

Her lips parted as she stared back at him, she never thought she would see such vulnerability in Clark Luthor, he was a hard mask to unveil, and she saw a tiny glimpse of emotion when he asked what his birth parents had named him. Staring at him for a long moment, Lois finally gave him an answer, "Kal-El... your name is Kal-El."

Clark took an unsteady breath, _Kal-El_, taking it in, letting it sink in for a while, repeating it in his head, before asking, "Did you know my parents... my real parents."

Lois slowly nodded, "Your parents are Jor-El and Lara, you were their only son, and the last son of your home planet Krypton." She said slowly and carefully.

She watched as Clark wore a hard look, swallowing hard and putting back his mask, as he began to get angry, "This was a bad idea." He breathed out as he brushed past her and rushed to the French doors.

"Wait!" Lois called out as she grabbed his wrist before he could get away. The second she touched him, an electric shock when through his entire body. It was like he was hit with a spark as her slender hand wrapped around his wrist. He froze in place as Lois gasped under her breath at the texture beneath her skin. His wrist was bumpy, as if something had scorched into it. She slowly turned over his wrist to see the L shaped scar burned into his skin. Her eyes widened as she lightly traced the scar with her finger, "Clark..." She breathed out, boring her eyes into his permanently burnt wrist, "Lionel did a real number on you didn't he." She said in a pained tone.

Clark cringed against her touch as it gently played along his skin, along the scar that was forever embedded in him, reminding him every day of that fateful night, balling his hand into a fist, Clark wrenched his arm away from Lois. She was surprised at the sudden loss of contact and looked up at him as he wore hard eyes, "Lionel didn't do this to me." He simply said, not willing to go further as he strode through the doors towards his room, leaving Lois standing alone on the balcony.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading this chapter:)<strong>

**The next update shouldn't be far off so stay tunedd!**


	20. If I Am A Stranger

Hey guys I'm really sorry it took me this long to update this story I promise I haven't forgotten about it I've just gone through a stump cause of my USB which I mentioned before has malfunctioned and I literally tried EVERYTHING to try and fix it and I've at least gone to 4 technitions trying to fix it and they said its completely wrecked-_- so since I've heard about that I've been going through a depression phase where I just bury my face in my pillow swearing to myself-.- good times.

Anyways so I've lost all my cliffnotes for this story so I had to start from scratch and since then I've been slowly recuperating this story and trying to remember as much as possible that I've lost... oh and I had a whole new clois story on the usb and I had already written 7 chapters of it... now I'm at 0 chapters-.- but i haven't given up I'm going to restart that story cause it won't leave my headd but in the meantime I'm solely focusing on this story and I'm up to chapter 25 so now i'm just going to edit the shit out of those and post them up as quick as i cann I'm not putting this story in a shelf and never looking back I AM FINISHING THIS! you're just going to have to be a little patient but i won't make you wait longg:)

So without further ado thanks for taking the time to read my message I know you all just wanna get on with the story already and if you skipped this part it's all good I would've done the same:P But for those who read my mumbo jumbo THANKS SO MUCH FOR WAITING:) Thank you for your comments its great to hear how many people love this storyline since I lost some of my work I'm changing up some stuff and a part of the plotline so I'm pretty excited to see how you all respond to the rest of this story it's going to be a long journey:P thanks alot again and enjoy this chapter you guys are the best:)

Look at me rambling again I'll just shuttup now and let you read what you came here for:P!

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><p><strong>Chapter 20: If I am a Stranger- Ryan Adams<strong>

_**Today is yesterday when you don't know how to rebuild the walls that someone has knocked down. To tell the truth it's hard enough without a lover, who you want to hide your darkness from. So they won't let you down.**_

Lois had left for work as Clark Luthor was alone in her home, leaving him with plenty of time to explore. He walked around, finally taking in his surroundings; it was definitely more Lane's style than that farmhouse dump she stayed in. He wondered why he found her there in the first place. Why did she even have two homes? He smirked to himself, imagining her as a farmer's wife, definitely not the type. Earth-2 Lois Lane was into billionaire philanthropists, grimacing at the thought, Clark Luthor continued to walk around her place, looking closely at the picture frames above the fireplace. He reached out and picked up the largest frame, a picture of her in a white gown, in his arms... on their wedding day.

Kent had his arms wrapped around her small waist, both grinning widely at each other as she laid her hand against his chest, showing off her wedding ring while they danced together. He analyzed the picture, boring his eyes into the woman that stood by his counter-part. She made a stunning bride. Clark Luthor couldn't deny it, Lois was a beautiful woman. He could just picture her walking down the aisle in her gown, with a bright smile towards him while he waited for her to reach him. He jerked his head back at the thought. Where did that come from? Why would he ever picture himself getting married to anyone let alone Lane? Clark had never seen Lane smile like that before, not even when she was married to Oliver, with their wedding pictures plastered all over the tabloids; she didn't seem like a woman who had finally gotten everything she ever wanted. This Lois... Somehow this smile looked real, she didn't even have to try to be happy, he had never seen her this happy before. Like nothing else mattered. Was it him that made her happy? Clark Kent? He thought to himself, maybe Earth-2 Lois thought deep down, Oliver wasn't the one for her, it just wasn't enough. He'd be lying if he never thought about being with Lois from time to time, but it was always in a physical way, how she'd be in bed... if she'd be a good f*ck. But now... he couldn't get away from the thoughts of how they would _be_ together, what kind of a person he'd be with her, how they'd be as a couple, being in love... being married. Taking a deep breath, he put the picture back in place. His brows furrowed at the picture of another couple whom he didn't recognize. It was of a tall middle aged man with blonde hair, wearing a blue plaid shirt, standing next to a red haired woman much shorter than him standing in front of a red barn, next to a green tractor. He had his arm around her shoulder and she laid her hand on top of his, smiling sweetly at the camera. He stared down at the red head; her face had soft features, maternal. For some reason, something calmed inside of him when he looked back at her face, a look of love reflecting back at him, kind, gentle. She almost reminded him of Lillian. He assumed these were Lane's parents, but he'd met the General, and Sam doesn't look anything like the man in this picture. Swallowing hard, he ignored the feeling and froze in place when he turned to the next picture; it was a picture of Chris, wearing a party hat, with chocolate cake all over his face. Chris wore a huge smile on his face, with his tiny fists up in the air. This must've been his first birthday. He pierced his eyes into the picture, looking closely at him. It was as if he was looking back at himself. He remembered a picture of him as a baby, with his mother Lillian holding him, the resemblance was almost identical it scared him. This truly was his son... He felt anger boil inside of him as he put the frame back in place. It wasn't his son, he never fathered him, he wasn't the one who created him, it was Kent's. But still, he couldn't help but realize this was a part of him... and Lois. He shook his head, never imagining he'd come to a world where he was a father. He never thought of having a family before, it wasn't until he came here when he began to wonder what if...

Clark continued to walk around the house, going into the kitchen, he opened the fridge and found nothing but take out. Sighing, he pulled out a bottle of beer. So she doesn't cook. Chooses not to, or sucks at it. He turned to face the coffee pot, noticing how it was never empty since he got here. "I guess the Lois Lane's in any universe have a caffeine addiction" he said to himself. Taking a swig of his beer, he walked to a separate room, which was her office; her desk was filled with piles of disorganized papers, and articles. Her laptop was open and curiosity got the best of him as he took a peek. Her screen opened up and she had an outline with just a heading and a blank page. He furrowed his brows as he read it, **WHO IS THE METROPOLIS SERIAL KILLER?**

"Metropolis Serial killer..." He smirked to himself, "They wouldn't have this problem if Ultraman was here. Guess Oliver's little possy don't actually clean up the streets like they claim they do." Leaving her office, he looked around some more, and then went to go open the French doors, heading out to the balcony, looking down at the city. It was weird, whenever he looked outside his penthouse, the city was filled with the Luthor dynasty, his family name was marked everywhere, on top of almost every skyscraper, making sure Metropolis knew exactly who controlled them, who was on top. This place... there was only one Luthorcorp, and it seemed no one cared to flinch at the name.

As he was looking out the window he heard footsteps coming from behind, "Disappointed with what's in front of you?"

He shook his head to himself, smirking in response, without turning around, he replied, "It's sad you call yourself a Luthor. Dad would be rolling over in his grave if he found out what you've done with his empire."

Tess scoffed, "I'd say what I've done with Luthorcorp has been a pretty stand up job. Who knows, Lionel might even be proud."

Clark chuckled, "Don't patronize me Tess..." He finally turned around and crossed his arms in front of her, "How'd you get in? I doubt of all people Lane would trust you to a key."

Shrugging, she replied, "I have my ways."

"And what's to stop me from telling her you were breaking and entering?"

Tess took a step towards him, "I don't really care what you say to her. We've never actually seen eye to eye on anything really so this situation is no different. I've been told to keep my distance anyways..." Taking another step closer to him, Tess spoke in a low tone, "I'm here to make sure you don't toy with Lois' emotions while you're staying with her." Clark raised his brow at her, "Lois is in a really tough place in her life and she's not thinking clearly especially with you around... but I can see right through you, they don't know you the way I do."

Clark smiled in amusement, "So you came here to get to know me more cause you like what you saw huh."

Tess glared at him while he enjoyed her reaction, "I think attempting to kill me is knowledgeable enough. I swear if you try to do anything to compromise Lois' life, or you manipulate her in any way possible, there will be a consequence, and she's standing right in front of you. So do yourself a favor and DON'T be a Luthor to her like you are to the rest of us. You may have fooled the rest of the league but I see your true colors and sooner or later they will too... I just hope it won't be too late."

"You rehearse that in front of a mirror Tess?" She rolled her eyes at him, "Don't come here and threaten me, you know I can easily throw you off this balcony and claim it was an accident. For all your friends know you don't like me at all and you came in here trying to attack me and you simply... slipped." He grinned at her while Tess bored her eyes into his, wishing she had heat vision right about now.

"I meant what I said Clark. I'm not as naive as the Tess you're so used to who just stands there and takes your crap. Frankly I'm real surprised she's put up with you this long."

Clark leaned in towards her and whispered, "It helps to have a big package."

Tess raised both her brows in astonishment, "You're a pig."

"And you're too easy." He looked her up and down, pursing his lips as she felt his breath brush across her face as he leaned closer, "Never able to resist."

Tess blinked back and the corner of her mouth curved up to a smile, "You know I can't wait for the day you screw up and you get exactly what you deserve. It's gonna be fun seeing you suffer. All in good time I guess." She turned to walk away but came to a halt for a moment, "By the way, Luthorcorp doesn't belong to me anymore, it's Oliver's. You're little dynasty you're so proud of is in his hands, hope you can sleep with that in mind. I know Lionel can." She shrugged, "Not like he has much of a choice." With that Tess left Clark shaking his head to himself in rage. How could that b*tch give their family business to their enemy? Clark huffed; realizing this wasn't even his world to get angry over, Tess knew just the trick to push his buttons. He wondered how his company was holding up without him. It had been five days. He wondered if anyone even noticed he was gone, other than his Tess. Swearing under his breath, he kicked the balcony, needing to get back to finish what he had just started to build. Something that was finally going to be his, and not under Lionel's or Oliver's control.

After about an hour Clark heard the door unlock as he turned to see Lois from the corner of his eye, shuffling around, with her son in her arms. As soon as he saw Chris, he quickly turned back to face the city, closing his eyes. _Great_, he thought, _I have to deal with this again_. Lois dropped her bag on the floor and placed Chris in his baby seat as she went into the kitchen to prepare his food. She continued to shuffle in the kitchen when she heard footsteps behind her. Clark built up all his courage to come inside and finally break the ice with her. He was getting bored out of his mind, debating whether to just jump out the window and see if the ring would magically slip off. He walked towards the kitchen, but stopped a few feet away when he spotted Chris in his baby seat at the dining table. Chris stared at him with interest, boring his baby blues into Clark, throwing his pacifier on the floor next to his feet. Swallowing hard, he fought to ignore the sudden feeling arising in him, walking past the kid, without bothering to pick up his pacifier for him, "You take your kid everywhere you go?"

Lois jumped at the sound of his voice, startled she clutched her chest while Clark wore a blank stare at her, pacing her breathing she replied, "No I just picked him up from daycare, he just started, but he's really adjusting to being away from me." She didn't meet his eyes as she fixed Chris his dinner. Clark stayed silent as he watched her. Feeling his eyes on her, Lois stared at him and her heart fluttered, "What did you do today?" she breathed out.

Clark shrugged, "Not much to do when you're under house arrest."

"I'm sorry."

Rolling his eyes at her, he responded, "Yeah you've said that already." Nodding, Lois brushed past him and headed towards the dining table and sat beside Chris as she began feeding him spoonfuls of mashed something's Clark knew nothing about. He watched Lois, intrigued with the way she fed her son, making funny faces so he would laugh and open his mouth.

Clark tilted his head while Lois made helicopter noises and shook his head at how it actually worked; he started to wonder if his mother was ever that affectionate with him while he was a baby. Smiling inwardly, he remembered all the other times she made him laugh. He missed her at times, but blocked off those memories. It's the sad memories that make a man weak, and cloud their judgements based on emotions as his father used to say. Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the couch and sat himself down. Lois looked at him as his back was turned to her and the corner of her mouth curved up. After a long moment, Clark hesitated before speaking, "Look... about before, I didn't expect you to know this much about me. I'm not used to that..." Lois turned to look at him as he continued to look straight ahead, "In my world we don't exactly cross paths... much. Like I said I don't want to be curious but... I don't know anything about myself, and you happen to hold all the cards and know everything about me. You have no idea how infuriating that is..." He huffed out in aggravation.

Lois pursed her lips, "Well like I said, if you want to know more about yourself, you can just ask. I won't hold anything back." She finished feeding Chris and cleaned him up as she put him in his playpen as he rubbed his eyes. Walking towards Clark, she sat at the far end of the couch, and even so, Clark fidgeted against his seat to be even farther from her. Sensing his discomfort, she got up and sat on the recliner. Putting her elbows on her knees, she stared back at him, "Ask me anything."

Sighing, Clark looked at her for a long moment and slightly nodded, "Who the hell is Kara? I thought I was the only one of my kind to be out here, but she said we're from the same planet so..."

Chewing on her bottom lip, Lois knew she had to be gentle with this, "Kara... she's from your planet, but she's also family." Clark blinked, "During the war, when Krypton was about to be destroyed, your dad, Jor-El, created a spaceship for you to be transported to Earth. They sent you to Earth which created the meteor shower in Smallville. At the same time, Kara's father, Zor-El, transported her in a ship to Earth to watch over you... he had other intentions though. Zor-El was Jor-El's brother, which makes Kara your cousin. Kara's ship crash landed in the bottom of a reservoir and she was trapped in and didn't escape until about eighteen years later, that's when you two finally met."

His brows rose as his breath caught in his throat, Clark stiffened in his seat, "Kara's my... my cousin... my biological cousin."

Lois nodded, "Clark Kent and Kara were the only survivors of Krypton, and he helped her adjust to life here on Earth, they became really close."

Clark was deep in thought and he stood up, pacing around her living room as he pieced everything together, "What happened to... Krypton..."

Lois took a deep breath, "You're planet was in the middle of a global civil war, led by General Zod... now I'm not sure what happened, but in the end, Krypton exploded... and radioactive pieces of the planet travelled to Earth during the meteor shower where your ship came along with it."

Clark's lips parted as he furrowed his brows at her, "Kryptonite?"

She nodded in response, "No one on Krypton knew your civilization had a weakness... I mean Krypton was the most advanced in technology in the entire Galaxy and had a deadly flaw..." A smile formed on her lips as her voice trailed off, she shook her head to herself, "I'm sorry, but I never thought I'd be on this end of the conversation... explaining your heritage to you."

Clark ignored her as he thought about the green meteor rock, "Lionel knew the reason behind my weakness all along, where it came from, Krypton. He had a journal and I only got glimpses of it but he mentioned those things... and the Fortress..."

Lois' face tightened, "About the Fortress..."

He turned to her, "What about it?"

Lois shrugged, "Well what do you know about it?"

Clark blew out a breath, "I know it was a piece of technology from my planet and Lionel used his technology to use it as intelligence software... for all I knew it was the mother load of everything there was to know about me... only Lionel managed to control it, but never gained anything from it, or he did and he never told me... it's nothing but a cold music box without the music. There's no point of it even existing." He said through his teeth.

She took an unsteady breath, "It's a piece of Krypton, the only true connection you have to your home planet... and your birth father." She watched as Clark furrowed his brows at her, "Jor-El stored all of his intelligence into it, he's a part of the Fortress, an artificial intelligence and, in this world... My Clark found the Fortress and Jor-El gave him guidance, trained him, made him go through some difficult trials in his life, and taught him everything there is to know about the knowledge learned by Kryptonians. He sort of became Clark's mentor."

Clark stared at her for what seemed like forever before he found his voice, "My birth father's still alive?" He managed to choke out.

Lois stood up and walked towards him, "N-no... he's just... he's there in spirit, you can only hear his voice... well one time we saw a hologram of him and Lara which they created for my Clark to see right before Krypton was destroyed. It was sort of a goodbye letter." A thought sparked through her mind as she rushed to her room and quickly came back out, holding a small photo. Carefully extending her hand towards him, Clark hesitated before he took the picture from her hand. He looked down at the picture of a middle aged blonde woman, with crystal blue eyes, wearing a small smile. Clark looked up at Lois confused, she smiled, "That's your mother." She said softly, "Lara."

Clark's was agape, staring down at the picture in awe, slowly grinding his teeth together, and composing himself as he handed the picture back to Lois, without another glance. Sighing, Lois took it back in silence, waiting for him to speak. Turning away, Clark stared at nothing as he thought back to his world. It was right there. Everything he needed to know about himself, everything he needed to know about his true family, it was right there, and Lionel took it away, took control of it and hid it from him forever, shutting him off from the only connection he could have to his real father. Closing his eyes, rage took over. He hated Lionel, "So how did I manage to live on a farm here... was Lionel a part-time farmer in this world?"

Lois blinked as she tilted her head, "Lionel wasn't the one who found you in the cornfield that day..." Clark turned to face her, full of wonder, "You were found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, farmers in Smallville. The farmhouse that you were transported to when you first got here... that's their farm, it's yours now... well actually, it was my Clark's."

The was a pause before Clark burst into hysterical laughter as Lois simply had a blank stare, wondering what was so funny. Continuing to laugh, Clark said, "I was raised on a farm by a bunch of low paid farmers."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him, "The Kent's loved you... him, in fact they were the best parents anyone could ever have, hell I wish I had them as my parents, but they took care of me as if I was their own, just like Clark Kent. He was happy to have them as his family. And he loved his father; in fact I'd say I've never seen a father and son have such a close bond like the two of them did. They loved him unconditionally and taught him to always see the best in people. They made him into the greatest form of humanity." Clark stopped laughing, and took a deep breath, "Clark always used to tell me how grateful he was to be found by them, and that he couldn't have asked for a better life, he didn't care that he didn't live in luxury, in fact he was more than satisfied with the luxury of living with amazing parents." She said in a stern tone, defending the Kent's who she saw as her own family.

Chuckling humourlessly to himself, he asked, "So how did the Luthors manage to entwine in my life if I was raised by farmers. According to Kara, Lionel still managed to come into my life and Tess seems to be a pain in my ass wherever I go. I mean why would Lionel and Tess have anything to do with Kent..." Lois swallowed hard as she looked at the ground, Clark's smile faded as he took in her expression. He noticed she wouldn't look at him, trying to dodge the question, "What relationship did I have with the Luthors? How did it all start?"

Biting her lip, Lois looked up, and sighed, regretfully answering him, remembering the 'L' shaped scar on his wrist, "You and Lex used to be best friends... and that's the start of how Lionel came into your life. Tess came way after, after you had cut the Luthors out of your life." Clark's face tightened at the thought of that. They were best friends... Clark's instinctively went to stroke his scar on his wrist with his thumb, outlining the 'L' shaped scorch mark. Looking down at the scar, he closed his eyes, his mind going back to that night, that one stormy night, his brothers last night. A night filled with despise, hatred, fury, and death. Balling his hands into fists, Clark brushed past Lois into his room and slammed the door behind him, burying his face in his hands, he leaned his back against the door, breathing heavily, remembering the yelling, the catastrophic fighting, the fight that evidently ended a life. He looked down at his hands. A night he vowed he would never look back at. But every time anyone mentioned Lex... Grinding his teeth together he punched the wall behind him, breathing heavily to himself. He and Lex were best friends in this world? _Were_. What happened in this world? Did Lex have the same fate in Earth-1? Wincing, Clark dropped to the floor, as his memories took over.

"_You really think you're special Clark? The only reason father loves you is because of your powers! You're only his protégée he can use to control everything and everyone around him, but when he realizes your batteries are dead, he'll have no more use for the Traveler!" He said with a sneer through his teeth as Clark laid on the floor surrounded by green K and one single gold rock, blinded by the pain while Lex brought out a hot rod, "I was raised in your shadow, now you're gonna die in mine." He said as he brought the rod towards Clark's wrist._

Clark opened his eyes as he heard the trickling of the rain hitting against the window. He leaned his head against the wall, looking at nothing in particular, wondering what his life would've been if he wasn't raised in the darkness of the Luthors.

Lois continued to look out the window as the rain poured down; she wrapped her arms around herself as she thought back to her conversation with Clark. She knew Lex was a touchy subject around him, somehow even though he didn't say anything. Lois knew the moment he said Lionel didn't put that scar on his wrist, she had a feeling it was Lex. She was curious as to what happened. What happened between him and Lex? But she knew he'd never open up to her that way. She looked down at the picture of Lara in her hands, as she placed it above the fireplace, next to the picture of the Kent's, she walked towards Chris as he giggled at her, holding out his monster truck toys, and then banging it against the floor. Lois smiled as she sat down and played with him. Clark could hear Chris laughing with his mother through the walls, a small smile formed on his lips at the sound of his laugh and suddenly all the rage, the frustration, the remorseful memories of his painful past were washed away at the mere sound of that child's laugh. He continued to sit and relish in his laugh which sounded like music to his ears for the rest of the night.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading next chapter will be up soon enough stay tunedd:)!<strong>


	21. Where Does it Hurt

Heyy guys heres the next chapterr thanks sooo much for your reviewss I'm glad everyones warming up to clark luthor and you'll be seeing a lot of him;)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 21: Where does it Hurt- Alexz Johnson<strong>

_**If you let me in, I won't let you down. Put your faith in me. Cause wherever you crash, wherever you land, that's where I'll be. There'll always be a place for you inside my arms.**_

The morning after, Lois had left for work without a word to Clark as he was left alone in his room, staring up at the ceiling, thinking about everything he had learned the night before. Lane knew everything about him... all his questions had been answered about himself. Everything Lionel had kept from him... but it seemed none of that mattered anymore, he couldn't help but think about Clark Kent, and his connection with Lex... his brother. How could Lex have had the heart to befriend anyone? He sighed, realizing he didn't want to know. He didn't care, this wasn't his world, he didn't need to know everything about the relationships his counterpart had, he'd be leaving here soon enough. Clark pinched the bridge of his nose as frustration grew within him when he realized there was no possible way for him to get out of here! What can he do?! He knew one thing for sure, staying here under the same roof as Lane was doing something to him and he didn't know what it was. He wanted to leave, badly. Clark got up and headed towards the bathroom, to wash his face, an idea suddenly came to him when he looked down at his hand. Taking a bar of soap, he put soap all around the blue k ring and pulled as hard as he could. Grunting, Clark gave up as he saw the blue glow from the ring almost mocking his failed attempt. Clark growled and smashed the bar of soap to the floor, not bothering to pick it up. Walking out the bathroom, he turned on some TV, seeing if anything good was on, he turned the channel to a show called 'Breaking Bad' which actually turned out to be really good as he poured himself a glass of bourbon. He looked up when the door opened and a familiar blonde walked in with her hands on her hips, "You always drink in the middle of the day?"

Clark smirked back at her, "Well since I don't have my powers I can actually feel the effects of alcohol and if I'm going to entertain myself in here for god knows how long, I might as well. Besides, time doesn't mean much when you're under house arrest."

Kara bit back her smile as she watched him continue to stare at the TV, "I can tell you're having a blast." Clark gave her a sarcastic smile as she sat down on the couch next to him; she looked back at the TV, "I heard this was a good episode."

Clark ignored her as he looked down at his glass, drinking the rest in one gulp, feeling the burning sensation in the back of his throat, "I take it's your turn on making the daily check Clark Luthor check in?"

Kara scrunched her face as she gave him an apologetic look, "Pretty much."

Sighing, Clark asked, "So any news on when I'm getting out of here?"

He noticed her face fall as she worried her lip, "We're still making progress..."

"Code for 'don't get your hopes up'..." He sighed as she didn't answer. Clark looked back at her, staring at her features, and then down to her wrist as she wore a silver bracelet with a weird symbol on it, taking a deep breath, he got up, "I'm gonna get another drink you want one..." Kara shook her head no, "By the way, I know you're my cousin... you forgot to mention that in your introduction."

Kara looked up at him surprised, hesitating at first, "How did you-"

"Lane told me. She didn't mind sharing that piece of information with me... could've had a heads up from you yourself." He looked at her with a blank face.

Kara stuttered for a moment, "I figured it'd be easier if you didn't know who I was... so you don't get too attached here before you go to your own world."

Clark scoffed, "Trust me, knowing you're my cousin won't give me that fluffy feeling inside that's gonna make me wanna stay."

"Too bad"

He turned to face her, raising his brow, "Why would you even want me to st-" Then he realized and rolled his eyes, "Never mind, got it." Kara chuckled.

"Look, if you want to know about your planet or your family, I won't keep that from you; I just thought it'd be better if things didn't get personal... more than they already are."

Clark shook his head, "Trust me, I don't want a bonfire party where you're gonna get all teary eyed talking about our home planet that blew up and everyone you loved who died."

Kara smiled shaking her head, "Fair enough... so how's everything here with Lois..."

He took another sip of his drink, "It's alright, she's minding her own business and I'm minding mine, just like we agreed."

"She agreed or you made it a point?" She said with a raised eyebrow.

"Doesn't matter." He brought his glass to his lips, "She knows better than any of you not to get on my bad side."

Kara smirked, "Then you don't know Lois very well, she makes it her mission to get onto people's bad side."

"Yeah... not too different from the one in my world. At least she's not showing that side of her to me."

Sighing, she replied, "Look I know you're doing your best to cooperate so I'm not going to give you my two cents on this but just do me a favor and don't be your usual self to her."

Clark smirked shaking his head to himself, "Dually noted, but for the record you should stop talking about her as if she's a sensitive six year old... at least your approach was better than Tess'"

Kara blinked, "Tess was here?"

A small smile creeped up his face, "Let's just say she made it a point to show who had the upper hand. Sweet girl."

Kara got up and huffed, "I'm going to have to talk to her about that..."

"Relax, I can handle Tess, but feel free to knock her out... oh wait... you don't operate like that" he smirked, "Too moral."

Kara rolled her eyes at him, "We have a code yes, but we do make a point to make sure our team is at an understanding, Tess is just being difficult."

Clark looked down at his glass for a long moment before speaking again, "So what, you're some kind of a hero like the rest of them?"

She smiled back at him, "Yeah, I use my powers to watch over and protect the world from chaos, and save as many lives as possible like the rest of our team."

He looked up at her, "Right..." she watched him deep in thought.

"What?" She asked.

His eyes met hers as he shook his head, "Nothing... you all just see the world in black and white, it's a lot more complicated where I'm from."

Furrowing her brows, Kara stepped towards Clark, "How so?"

He didn't answer her for a moment, "Forget it." He got up and brushed past her.

Kara drew her brows together as she turned to face him, "You know you say it's more complicated but the truth is you don't know what we've been through, what we've seen. Black and white is a hell of an understatement of describing Earth-1, trust me when I say we don't see it like that... that's just wishful thinking." She said in a soft tone as her voice cracked.

Clark watched her for a moment, and hesitated before asking, "How did he die?" She looked up at him, "Kent... how did he die."

Her eyes fluttered as she inhaled deeply, "He died during battle with Doomsday, another Kryptonian... he was destroying Metropolis and his sole purpose was to kill. Kal-El-" She stopped when she realized her mistake and looked at Clark who swallowed hard at the name, but didn't look confused, she realized Lois told him more than he bargained for and continued, "Kal-El died trying to save Earth. We all tried helping, but Doomsday made it his mission to kill him..."

Clark blinked, "What the hell is Doomsday?"

Kara wore steel eyes, "He was a mindless killing machine with no feelings apart from unfocused hatred, murderous rage, and the sheer malicious joy of destruction."

His lips parted as those words sounded oddly familiar... words that were used to describe his alter ego. "So Kent died fighting this thing off... did Doomsday at least die in the process?"

She smirked, "Kal-El didn't die for nothing. He weakened the beast so much that he was nearly on the verge of death... now he's in the deepest, darkest part of the universe, hopefully dead. But we know one thing for sure, he's never coming near this galaxy... A lot of innocent people died that day, no one's going to forget Doomsday... especially Lois." Clark suddenly felt uncomfortable as he thought about the death of Lane's husband.

Kara looked down at her phone which suddenly vibrated as she looked up at Clark with a smile, "It's Oliver, I better get going. Bye Clark." Clark nodded back at her as Kara left, realizing that there was something so much more powerful than him, something that can actually succeed in killing him. He sighed, just what he needed, another person on his list wanting to kill him, he better watch his back when he returns to his world, hoping that there isn't a Doomsday in his world... then he wondered whether anyone even cared if he was gone like they do in this world. Would they cry? Or would they celebrate that Clark Luthor had finally died. That Ultraman had finally died.

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><p>A whole week went by and Clark never said a word to Lois since their talk. She had been busy with her article at the Planet and whenever she got home, he had ignored her the entire time while Lois respected his wishes and kept her distance. Lois had left Chris at daycare as she was working from home, in her office. She had brought home a whole box of old police reports which had any relevance of the victims of the Metropolis Suffocator over the past year, hoping to find something. While she was reading through the reports, more like skimming through them, she heard footsteps. Slowly raising her head, she stared back at Clark, who was leaning against the doorframe of her office. She noticed his broad chest as his black shirt fit tightly against his torso. Swallowing hard, Lois managed to find her voice, dropping the paper she was reading from her hands, "Hey." She simply said.<p>

Clark nodded, unsure of what to say, stepping into her office, he spoke up, "Is there ever a day you're not working?" He said. Lois knew he wanted to ease the tension between them, and instead of facing their last conversation, she respected that he wanted to move past it, never mentioning again.

The corner of her mouth curved up as she watched him, "Hardly. I wouldn't say ever though, I had to take a sabbatical for a couple of months, along with my maternity leave... It was the longest I had gone without writing a single article."

Raising his eyebrow, Clark replied, "How many weeks are we talking here?"

Lois looked down at her hands gripping her pen, unable to look up at him, "Around eight and a half months."

Clark's lips parted, he cocked his head to the side, trying to make sense of it, "I own the Daily Planet in my world, and standard maternity leave in our books is 12 weeks, how the hell did you manage to persuade your boss to give you more than half a year off without being at least demoted?"

Taking a deep breath, Lois answered in a quiet tone, which could've been near impossible to hear, but Clark managed to, "They seemed to understand given the fact that I lost my husband, and I was having his baby on my own." Clark kept silent at that, not knowing what to say, thinking about when Kara told him how he died in this world. He watched her hands gripping her pen tightly, "Clark Kent died... three months before I had our son. I was still grieving. Once my editor at the Daily Planet heard what happened, they let me take a leave of absence until after I had Chris. So that was three months, plus another three months of maternity leave, but... even after that I couldn't go back. So I didn't go to work for another two and a half months... I just wasn't ready yet." She pulled at the corner of her mouth, unable to look up at his eyes, scared she was just going to let it hit her and break down in front of him. Exhaling deeply, she kept telling herself, _He's not Smallville_.

Clark continued to stare back at her, watching her usually composed face break, he could tell how much pain she was holding in. She was good though, he had to give her credit for being able to make the effort to hide it so well. He wondered what she did when she was alone, how exactly she dealt with it in those eight and a half months. He opened his mouth to speak, "He died before you had your kid..." He stated. Lois raised her head to stare back at him and nodded emotionlessly. Clark nodded, slowly blinking as he licked his lips. Kent never got to meet his son. The kid never got to be held by his father. He would never get to see him grow up into a man, and raise him. Kent would never see what a beautiful chi- NO, he thought to himself. He would not think like that. He couldn't get attached like that. This wasn't his problem. This wasn't his life to be sympathetic about. He couldn't. Sympathy was for the weak. Forcing those thoughts back, he came back to reality, and sat himself on the chair across from Lois as she watched him with interest. Leaning back, he looked back at her, "So what've you been working on since you got back to the bullpen."

He could've sworn he saw a glimmer in her eyes briefly. She spoke with a sigh, "There's a serial killer in Metropolis, and I'm trying to find out who it is." Lois said with determination.

Nodding, Clark replied, "Metropolis Suffocator?" He tilted his head, smirking at her, "You could've figured out a more creative name than that."

Lois chuckled, "Yeah well, I've created better names for the people who make my headlines. This guy doesn't deserve one."

Clark nodded, "Any leads?"

Shrugging, Lois brought out a file, "So far, he's killing young women at random from clubs or bars. My theory is that he could've had a past with these women, ex-boyfriend, or possibly a stalker, maybe they went to school or worked together and he's out for revenge..." She said while tying her hair up in a messy bun.

Clark read through her files, without looking at her, he answered, "Maybe he's never had any history with these women, maybe he just walks by, sees something in these women that he doesn't like and decided he wanted to kill them. Eliminate them."

Lois raised her brow at him, "That's abrasive... Why would he do that? How does that even pass for a motive? Every killer has a motive." She challenged.

Chuckling under his breath, Clark threw the file back on her desk and leaned back on his chair, putting his hands behind his head, "These women seem awfully random to be tied together, they're not even the same age. Why does any serial killer do anything? He probably only had the intention to kill the first victim who just rubbed him the wrong way, and so since he killed her, he felt a rush, and couldn't stop cause killing her was just so easy, he decided to just kill any woman for the fun of it. Find a challenge because it's just that satisfying to succeed without getting caught."

Lois furrowed her brows at him, "How would you know that?" Clark simply stared back at her, "I mean why such a hunch? Did that just come up off the top of your head?" She asked cautiously.

Clark gave a humourless laugh, "Relax Lane, I'm not a serial killer. I don't kill for the fun of it, but I do know the satisfaction of killing someone... and searching for more." Lois' lips parted, as her eyes widened at what he just said. Clark sighed, suddenly turning serious, "There are people who get what they deserve from me... almost every day." He got up and left her office, leaving Lois baffled.

Lois sat dumbfounded and suddenly got up and stalked after him, "So you use your powers to KILL people?! You're telling me you have this extraordinary gift that if humans had them, would only abuse them for their own selfish needs and that's exactly what you do? What you're doing is murder Clark!" Clark stopped in the middle of the living room, his back facing her as she continued, "You just told me that you know the feeling of satisfaction when killing someone. What? You mean if anyone pisses you off you just erase them from the planet just because you can?! Is that how Lionel taught you to run the business? Kill to get what you want? Any business deals to make yourselves richer ends in death threats? Cause that worked out great for him when he pays people to do his dirty work. I guess in this case he used you to do his dirty work for him not caring about any of the consequences and so you made a habit out of it!" She scoffed in shock, "You're telling me you're not a serial killer, but what you just described seems a lot like my case on Jack the Ripper here!"

Clark turned around to face her with cold eyes, "You don't know what you're talking about." He said in a low tone.

Lois shook her head in astonishment, "Lionel's killed a lot of people to get what he wanted Clark. Oliver's parents were one of them and he was eleven when Lionel had them killed! Is that really what you've become? You've become an emotionless killing machine?! Finding satisfaction once the person who crossed your path is eliminated? Not a care in the world at who they are? Do you seriously not have a conscience?! This is sick!" She exclaimed, tears in her eyes, and a sudden fear rose up when Clark stepped towards her, inches away and his face was rock hard, clenching his jaw at her.

_An emotionless killing machine..._ Her words continued to echo through his ears as his blood boiled in rage.

Clark was about to let her have it when he saw the fear in her eyes, and something else... disappointment. For some reason, it didn't feel right to have her look at him like that, and his anger soon disappeared without his knowledge. Taking a deep breath, Clark stepped away from her and sat himself down on the couch. Resting his elbowing on his knees, he clamped his hands together, looking forward. Lois took unsteady breaths as he spoke calmly, "My dad... Lionel used to beat the crap out of my mom when I was little. I hear it happening... and there wasn't anything a ten year old can do about it. Since then... my whole life, if I see somebody in trouble I can't walk away. You can tell me the way I do it is wrong and sick. I know that's not how you people do it here. You have a moral, a freaking code of ethics, but in my world... it's a lot more dark and twisted and the only way I know how to keep people safe is to get blood on my hands. That may not be how your world works out but for me... even if it means I have to kill someone, I know that by killing that one person, I get the satisfaction that I made someone else's life a little more bearable, to let them know that the person who'd been hurting them will never hurt them again. The rapists, the abusers, the muggers, the thugs, gangsters, robbers, the serial killers..." He looked up, into Lois' eyes and said, "I give people security in knowing that I got rid of the one person who was making their lives a living hell. I would've given anything to have been able to do that for my mom... but instead all I can do is watch until one day, she couldn't take it anymore that she killed herself. She killed herself because she knew no one was going to save her from him, from her personal hell, and not even her kids were enough to keep her living. She couldn't stay alive to just stand by and idly watch her husband destroy her kids' lives and not be able to do anything about it. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw her slit her own wrists in the kitchen. And since then I vowed to never walk away, never to stand by and hope something else will come along to make it better for them, and I never will. I'm not about to change that for anyone."

There was a long silence between them as Clark looked down to his hands. He didn't realize Lois had sat next to him on the couch until he felt her hand on his wrist, sliding up to entwine their fingers together. Clark kept his hand limp while Lois squeezed it tightly with hers. He slowly looked up to meet her eyes filled with tears that refused to fall; she nodded, showing him she understood while squeezing his hand. Sighing, Clark looked down at their hands. Her hand felt warm, it felt right as he stroked the back of it with his thumb. Like something was finally being lifted off his chest and being replaced with something else, something soothing, making him at ease. And it came as fast as it left. It hit him like a lightning bolt as he looked down at their hands. Exhaling deeply, Clark untangled their fingers and slid his hand out of hers, and silently got off the couch, locking himself in the only place he could be alone in. Lois stared back at the closed door, once again, he bolted at the first sign of kindness. She swallowed back, pinching the bridge of her nose, kicking herself for judging him so quickly, throwing spiteful words at him. He was no serial killer. He was protecting his people in his own way.

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><p>That night, Clark was stirring in his sleep, tossing and turning, as his nightmares consumed him.<p>

_He laid against the hard wood floor, every single muscle in his body had tensed as his blood boiled inside of him. The pain was excruciating, every ounce of his body felt like it was being burned, as if his skin was slowly being peeled off to show exposed flesh which burnt against the heat of the air. He had screamed enough. The screaming had worn out of him. He simply laid there, while every vein in his body turned green, he jerked against the hand that grabbed at his wrist. He slowly opened his eyes, beads of sweat clouding his vision, but the vision became clearer as the blurred face had turned into a bald figure, and he knew he was staring into the eyes of his brother. Eyes full of malice, and hatred towards him._

_ "I was raised in your shadow, now you're gonna die in mine." He said with a twisted sneer on his face as he took out a gold rock and laid it beside Clark's arm. Bringing his face closer, Lex whispered in his ear, "Let's see if the Man of Steel can survive this." He said as he brought the burning rod in front of his face. Clark wanted to lunge forward at him, wanted to strangle him, wanted to kill him, but most of all, he wanted to scream for help. For anyone to save him. But there was no one. No one was coming for him. Not tonight. He felt trapped in his own body, trying to shatter anything to try and get out, but he felt paralyzed in his own skin, feeling nothing but pain, just wishing it was over already, hoping to die as soon as possible just to get away from the pain. No. He knew Lex wasn't going to make it that easy. His brother was going to enjoy the last breath he takes, and makes sure it's the most painful one. Lex brought the rod towards his wrist, "That way, when you're dead, the world will know exactly who finally killed Ultraman... and I'll be known as their hero, and you'll only be remembered as a monster. And dear old dad and his Veritas covenant won't have to worry about the Traveler going rogue..." Lex tilted his head down at him, "I'm doing this for the greater good Clark. You'll no longer be my father's obsession, we're all better off without you." He spat out as he brought the rod towards his wrist and stabbed it against his skin as hard as possible, until the loudest, most excruciating pain came out of Clark's mouth._

Lois laid in bed, wide awake as she slept on her side, unable to sleep, simply thinking about the man sleeping in the next room. She continued to lay there in silence when a piercing scream burst through her wall. Lois jumped up and turned to the wall, "Clark?" She whispered softly. When she heard the scream again, it was louder, and it sounded like he was in extreme pain. Lois leapt out of her bed and swung her door open, running across the hall to his room. When she opened the door, she noticed Clark laying extremely stiff against the bed, screaming as loud as he can, suddenly tossing and turning around in his sleep. Lois ran to his side and grabbed his arms from swinging around, while he continued to fight back, clutching the sheets tightly in his fists. Lois tried to calm him down, using a soothing tone, placing her hands against his bare chest, "Shh Clark... Clark calm down, wake up Clark!" She tried to calm him but his scream continued to pierce through the air and Lois began to get scared at his outburst. She grabbed his face, "Clark shh... shh it's okay I'm here. CLARK WAKE UP!" She slapped his face, and leaned into his ear, "It's okay Clark, wake up. It's not real." Clark heard her voice in his head and began to get confused, suddenly, everything went black, he wasn't at the Luthor mansion anymore, the pain had slowly faded away. He felt the floor against his back turn soft, into a bed and he felt soothing hands caress his face rather than a hot rod penetrating against his skin, and a soft whisper in his ear replaced the spiteful one in his mind. Slowly regaining consciousness, Clark jumped up into a sitting position and opened his eyes, panting and sweating vigorously. Lois kept a hold of his face in her hands, "Clark? Hey, hey, it's okay."

Clark looked around, suddenly aware of where he was, but utterly confused, "W-what happened?" He choked out.

Lois stroked his cheek, as his breathing slowed back to normal, "You were having a nightmare. You're okay now..." She said softly.

Clark huffed, his tense muscles began to relax and his hands began to cramp as he let go of the bed sheets. He buried his head in his hands, and whispered under his breath, "Lex..." Lois didn't hear him, but saw the distraught look on his face, "It's like it was happening all over again." He said in his hands, more to himself, forgetting Lois was there.

Lois realized he was reliving a traumatizing event in his dreams, something that really took a toll on him. She ran her fingers through his hair in comfort and Clark didn't protest to it. Chewing on her bottom lip, Lois debated for a short while, before wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him close to her, "You're okay now. It was just a dream. It's over." She said softly.

Clark sat stiff against Lois, not used to being comforted like this after a nightmare. He used to have this dream all the time, only once he woke up, he was all alone, alone to deal with it himself, to try and go back to sleep, pretending it didn't happen. Suddenly, after one of those dreams, he found himself in her embrace, being comforted, something that had never happened to him since the last time his mother comforted him after a nightmare. And soon after, Clark realized he really needed his. He really needed someone tonight. Surrendering to her embrace, Clark wrapped his arm around her middle and hugged her close to him, leaning his head against her shoulder as she stroked his hair, "You're okay." She whispered once again, and soon after, the fear was gone, that pain in his heart disappeared when Lois wrapped her arms around him. They continued to stay like that for a moment longer. Lois was the first to pull away and felt Clark's arm tighten around her for a brief moment as she froze against him, feeling the heat of his bare chest emanating through her and then he released her, placing his hands on his lap. She pulled away and stared back at his face, "Are you going to be okay?" She asked, showing concern for him. Clark looked away, unable to answer her. Lois sighed and asked, "Do you want to talk about it?"

After a brief pause, Clark's eyes met hers in the darkness, "No." Lois nodded, knowing it was useless to try and convince him it was better if he did talk about it. She brought her hand up out of reflex and cupped his cheek. Clark, suddenly aware of her contact, moved his head away from her hand. Lois dropped her hand to her side, suddenly aware that this wasn't her husband she was comforting. She silently got up out of the bed and walked towards the door, "Hey..." His voice called out to her as she turned around to face him, unable to see his face in the darkness. After a long moment, Clark finally spoke up, "Thanks." He mumbled.

Lois smiled back at him, unsure if he could see her or not. Without another word, she turned to walk back to her room. Clark fell back on his bed, taking deep breaths while staring up at the ceiling, he knew he wasn't going to sleep for the rest of the night, and so he continued to let his thoughts consume him, while only one ran through his head, the memory of having her in his arms.

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><p>"Top of the morning and I came prepared with your favorite food." Chloe called out as she walked into Lois' home, holding a bag of maple donuts and coffee. Dropping them on her lap, Lois grinned up at her cousin.<p>

"You sure know how to make someone's morning perfect Cuz." Lois said as she dug into the bag and pulled out a donut. Chloe chuckled as she took a sip of her coffee. "So, any news?" Lois asked.

Chloe shook her head, "Not really, we're still doing our research, if we can make any progress with that, maybe we can figure out a way to send him back." Lois noticed Chloe deep in thought, "How's everything going here by the way? Is Clark Luthor being a pain in the ass?" She joked to which Lois rolled her eyes at.

"Not exactly. We do manage to have small conversations here and there. I feel like he's finally loosening up, he's opening up to me bit by bit and I think he's really coming around..." Chloe nodded at her cousin, staring back at her with a distant look on her face. Furrowing her brows at her, Lois touched Chloe's arm, "Is everything okay Chloe? You seemed like you were somewhere else for a second there."

Chloe took a deep breath as she stared back at her cousin, "You're different Lo." Lois blinked at that, "You just seem glowing now, happier." A small smile formed on Lois' lips. Chloe stared back at her cousin for a long while, before speaking up again, "Lois... there's something you need to know."

Lois looked down at her watch and widened her eyes, "Oh gosh! Can we table this for later Cuz? I have to drop Chris off at the daycare and then I have to get to the Planet!" She said as she rushed around the house as Chloe swallowed back nervously, relieved at the interruption.

"Yeah, sure." Chloe said as Lois carried Chris in her arms, with her bag, and car keys in the other hand.

"Sorry Chlo I can't stay any longer, I know I promised to hang out for some breakfast, but I didn't realize the time. I'll make it up to you with lunch okay!" She called out as she reached the door. Chloe nodded as she smiled back at her cousin, "Can you let Clark know I'm gone I think he's still sleeping."

"No problem. Have fun at work. Bye Chris!" They both waved by as Lois rushed out the door. Chloe was left alone, her smile faded as she looked down at her coffee cup. The silence felt comforting, as she contemplated on what to do. Clark Kent was missing and she had no idea what to do about it! Chloe closed her eyes, "Clark... if you can hear me... please come back to us. Please." She whispered softly. She heard the door open and saw Clark Luthor walking into the living room. Chloe sat still as she watched him look around till he saw her. Taking a deep breath, Chloe spoke in a confident tone, "Lois went to work."

Clark nodded, "I heard." He said bluntly. Chloe went back to sipping her coffee, as Clark walked towards her, "So what, you're here to keep me company? Or do you just housesit for Lane as a side job?" He asked in a sarcastic tone.

Giving him a small smirk, Chloe crossed her leg, "I was hanging out with my cousin until she had to go to work. And I was wondering if she was having second thoughts on keeping you here."

Clark raised his brow at her, "Wondering or hoping?" Chloe stayed silent at that. Clark tilted his head, analyzing her, "So you're married to Oliver Queen." Chloe looked up at him as he looked down at her ring.

"Yeah." She said, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

Clark scoffed at her, "Funny, never thought the billionaire would be interested in a small town high school reporter who wasn't a Victoria's Secret model. How'd you get on his radar? Or are you just his sloppy seconds after Lane?" He smiled as she glared at him.

Chloe simply smirked at him, "My relationship with Oliver is none of your concern, we met through mutual friends, shared same interests and fell in love. Simple as any other story."

"And does that same story apply to Lane and Kent..." He asked.

The corner of Chloe's mouth twitched, "If you're so curious about her love life why don't you just ask her."

Clark rolled his eyes, walking away from her, while twirling his gold ring around his pinkie, "What's your story?" Chloe blinked, taken aback by that, Clark turned to face her as he lowered himself on the couch, leaning back, "As far as I know you and Lane didn't even coexist together in my world. How is it that her cousin is such a big part of this team? You don't have any special powers." He asked.

After a moment of silence, Chloe took another sip of her coffee, "Clark Kent and I were best friends since eight grade. We went to Smallville High together."

Clark raised his brow at her, "He knew you before he ever met Lane" Stating in a sarcastic manner.

Chloe nodded her head, "That high school paper you say I was only known for, Clark was my partner in crime. We would solve mysteries in Smallville, mysteries of the meteor rocks and the people who were infected by them. I did the investigating, while Clark did all the saving and took zero credit for it." He noticed the glistening of her eyes as she spoke about him.

"You're telling me, the farm boy version of me was best friends with you, and was a high school reporter?"

Chloe nodded, adding with a smile on her face, "Not to mention star quarterback of the Smallville High football team."

Clark chuckled, "Geeky farm boy AND a high school jock? This world just keeps getting better." Chloe laughed humourlessly, shaking her head to herself. Clark still voiced amusement, "So how did Lane manage to cross paths with him?"

Chloe sighed as she replied, "There was a point in my life when I was forced to blackmail Lionel Luthor, he wanted me to investigate Clark, find out his secret for him. I refused to do that because I would never betray my best friend, but Lionel threatened me, so I fought fire with fire and worked with Lex to bring him down. Consequently, Lionel tried to have me killed. And when the world thought I had died, Lois came to Smallville looking for me, and met Clark along the way because I left a message saying if anyone could find out what happened to me, it would be him. Ever since then, Lois had become a bigger part of all our lives in Smallville and she moved out here when she was 19." She said while taking a deep breath.

Clark raised his brow at her, "You know your world isn't that different from mine. You were investigating my father's company and tried to exploit him, before you got the chance to get too close, Lionel had you killed. Only, he made sure you were actually dead." Chloe drew her brows together as he spoke, "Not too long after, Lane came into town to investigate your death, but Lionel cleaned his hands, and she couldn't find anything to make it stick that he was responsible. Same journey, different destination. There was no knight in shining armour best friend or a Luthor on the inside helping you two out." He shrugged.

Chloe nodded, "Well, every story has their different endings. I'm just glad I had my knight in shining armour, if it wasn't for Clark Kent, I wouldn't be the person I am today and I'm forever grateful to have had him in my life for as much as I did."

Clark smirked as he replied sarcastically, "What are you in love with him or something?"

Chloe looked up at him and smiled, "I'll always love Clark, he was my best friend." She rolled her eyes to herself, "There was one point in my life when we were younger when I had feelings for him, but I always knew we weren't going to be more than friends and eventually that was more than enough for me. Eventually I moved on."

"With Oliver." He said as he scoffed.

Chloe shook her head, "Oliver will always be my true love, but there was someone who came before him who really opened up my heart. I fell completely in love with him and moved on from my feelings for Clark."

Clark furrowed his brows, "If he was so special why aren't you with him now?"

Chloe took an unsteady breath as she spoke softly, "He died."

Sighing, Clark leaned back against the couch, "Guess love's no match for death in this world." Chloe looked up at him, "You and Lane both lost the ones you love and yet here you are, married to someone else, trusting someone else to take care of you. What's the point when at any moment, you could lose them forever." Clark shook his head to himself, "Love is nothing but a lifetime full of disappointments and tragedy. You're just setting yourselves up for it."

Chloe looked down at her mug, "I agree, losing the one you love is tragic, but gaining another love, opening up your heart to someone else is all you can hope for. It took me a long time to know what I wanted, a long time to move on from Jimmy, and once I did, I've never felt more free and happy than I do with Oliver. If having that is tragic, I say give me tragedy, as long as I can be with the one I love for as much as possible and keep the memories. I wouldn't give that up for the world. I learned to appreciate what I had more when I saw just how much Lois had lost when her Clark died." Her eyes had become glossy; they sat in silence as no one said a word. Chloe cleared her throat and got up, walking towards the door, "I should get going." When her hand wrapped around the door knob, she slowly turned to face him as he was staring back at her. "For what it's worth... it's really good to talk to you again." Clark blinked in confusion as she took an unsteady breath, her eyes filled with tears, "I've missed you so much Clark." She breathed out before she left, as Clark parted his lips, realizing he just had a heart to heart with a complete stranger. What was happening to him?

Leaning back on the couch he huffed out, "Shit..."

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><p><strong>To be continued more coming soon:)!<strong>


	22. Your Eyes

Hey guys sorry I took so long to update I've just been lazy:S and this chapter really bothered me I cant tell you how many times i've reread it to make it better. even now i'm not all satisfied with how this chapter turned out but ive kept you waiting long enough and figured i did what I could... not my best but i promise the next chapters are goooddd:)! I wont take TOO long but I cant promise on anything when it comes to updating lol.

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 22: Your Eyes- Alexz Johnson<strong>

_**Your eyes are holding up the sky. Your eyes make me weak I don't know why. Your eyes make me scared to tell the truth. I thought my heart was bullet- proof. Every single thing you say makes me want to run away.**_

"Lois, don't you think you should just tell Perry and let him deal with this? I mean there's really no need to get yourself suspended for hitting a co-worker..." Jimmy said with a nervous tone as he tried to keep up with Lois as she stomped down to the basement.

Lois scoffed, throwing over her shoulder, "Are you kidding me?! I'm not going to hide behind Perry and let him do my dirty work for me! She's stepping into my story and STEALING my work and I'm gonna give that little wench a piece of my mind! And if Andy can't handle it then she can get the hell out of here the door's always open just like her legs!" She spat out as she strode through the basement.

She came to a halt and Jimmy stopped himself before crashing into her from behind, as she looked around, scanning for a certain blonde. Lois smirked when she saw Andy flirting with the copy boy by her old desk as she started walking towards her, "Hey Pamela Anderson!" Andy blinked as she saw Lois coming towards her with her hands on her hips, "You want to explain to me why my sources are calling to yell at me for breaking confidentiality and to butt out of their business from now on? Apparently there's one too many reporters harassing them on this investigation."

Andy stood straight, squaring her shoulders together with a slight smile on her lips, "I have no idea what you're talking about." She said with a sweet innocent voice.

Lois raised her brow at her, "Don't patronize me Andy, I know you stole my report and started your own little investigation. I've spoken to the Metropolis Police commissioner and they told me of a fake blonde reporter coming in, and asking questions about MY article. They also asked me what kind of a newspaper needs two reporters competing for one story!" She exclaimed pointing to herself, "I'm getting into a lot of shit for this. So what, you were just going to try and lead MY investigation, use MY sources, and find the Metropolis serial killer using MY quotes to get a byline?"

Andy rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Look Lois you're overreacting, I asked you if I can be a part of your article, and you said no. I could've helped you a lot. I have some pretty impressive resources too. Last time I checked borrowing someone's report isn't a crime and besides, I'm not using EVERYTHING of yours; I just needed your report to get a sense of what I'm looking for. I'm pretty sure I'll still be able to find him before you do. I have some tactics" She said with a smile.

Narrowing her eyes at her, Lois replied, "This isn't a competition. Unless you want your next period to come through your nose, back off Andy, this is MY article!"

Andy scoffed at her, "Lois you've had so many front page articles, losing this one won't kill you! I'm a reasonable woman, but I'm just as interested in cracking this story it's not your property, I'm not about to give it up now that I have a lead." She said with her arms crossed.

Lois smirked, "If you knew anything about journalism, you'd know that STEALING isn't any way to make it to the top. And I'm making it my mission to find this guy." She took a step closer to her, "I mean it Andy, don't get in my way. This is my article. If I find out you interviewed another one of my sources on this case, or if you're using any of my leads, I swear you'll be licking puss infected wounds off yourself." She hissed before turning to walk away with her head held high, without giving Andy a chance to retort.

Jimmy followed close behind, trying to hide his smile, "Well at least you used your words instead of your fist..."

Lois chuckled, "I can't tell you how much effort it took for me not to give her a black eye." Jimmy tried to hide his laugh while rolling his eyes, but failed as they went back up to the 8th floor together.

"Real classy of you Lois. So what's the plan now?" Jimmy asked, "I mean he hasn't struck again, so where do we go from here?"

Lois walked over to her computer, "We're going to find him before he gets the chance to strike again and before Andy does."

Jimmy cleared his throat, "Don't you think that we should let the police deal with finding him and we just write about it?"

Lois looked up at him and gave him a sheepish grin, "Do you not know me at all Olsen?" She watched him give her a cautious look and sighed, "Alright, I won't go being a detective. BUT I am an investigative reporter, so I need to at least find a lead on that."

"Any luck?"

"I feel like these women are just chosen at random. He probably finds the most vulnerable girl at a club. You notice these women were always taken when they were out drinking?" Jimmy nodded, "I'll look into the places they were last seen and see if anyone would know something."

After coming home, Lois had prepared dinner, while Clark was standing outside on the balcony, his usual spot. Chris was taking his nap as Lois set her food on the table and was about to eat when she stopped. Looking up at the opened French doors, Lois chewed on her lip and contemplated on something. She sighed as she got up thinking 'Why the hell not' as she walked towards the balcony, waiting by the doorway with her hands clasped together. She simply just watched him looking out at the night sky, gripping the handle. As if he sensed her presence, Clark slowly turned to face her, in silence. Lois gave him a small smile, "You wanna have dinner with me?" She asked in a quiet tone, nervous that she'd be rejected. They had never eaten together. He was always eating on his own. Expecting him to say no, she was inwardly surprised when he shrugged and then nodded. She smiled back at him, "I'll go make you a plate." She said as she turned to the kitchen, preparing his plate of food while he walked in and sat across from her. They were eating in silence; the clacking of their forks against their plates was the only noise being made. After a while, Lois finally spoke up, "So what'd you do today?" Clark's eyes came up to meet hers and he raised his brow at her, giving her a 'Is that a joke?' look. Lois chuckled to herself, "Okay, no pun intended sorry. I guess there's not much to do here."

Clark smirked, "That's an understatement."

Lois thought for a moment as she stared back at him, "Well... it is Friday..." She shrugged.

"And?" he said, not looking amused.

She grinned back at him, "Friday night's movie night." Clark furrowed his brows at her, "Every Friday, Chris and I have a little movie night, I show him all the classic must-watch movies you have to see before you die."

Clark put his fork down and leaned back on his chair as he watched her, "Really... like what."

Lois shrugged as she looked down at her plate, "I don't know if you know these movies in your world, but Star Wars series, Lord of the Rings, The Goonies, Indiana Jones... have you heard of them?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up, "I don't watch movies so I wouldn't know... but they don't sound like movies you'd show a one year old."

Lois laughed, "Well I haven't showed him Jaws or Die Hard, but my boy can handle Harrison Ford and I refuse to let him go on life without seeing Star Wars."

"You do realize his attention span isn't enough to remember a movie at this age right?"

She chuckled, "Yeah well I like watching them with his company..." All of a sudden, she remembered he said something that stunned her, "When you say you don't watch movies..."

Clark shrugged, "Lionel didn't believe in the Hollywood phenomenon brainwashing the Luthor mind. He kept us focused on philosophy, history, science... burying our faces in books."

Lois raised her brow in amusement, "You never watched cartoons as a kid?"

"Never owned a TV except for security footages. I did read Warrior Angel comic books though, rare collection." He watched she gaped at him, amused by her expression, "I'm not oblivious to it."

Lois blinked, astonished at the strict protocol of Lionel Luthor, "You're telling me you've never watched Star Wars..." Clark nodded, Lois' jaw dropped, "What did you do... you know... for fun. As a kid I mean?"

Clark gave a humourless laugh, "I never did much of being a kid and playing outside if that's what you mean. Lionel kept me under wraps from others, me more than my brother and sister because... I'm just that special." He said sarcastically, "He pretty much hid me in the mansion, and kept me as his pet, turning me into the man he wanted me to become and experimenting on me, trying to figure out what I was... and how to use me to his advantage."He said simply.

Lois' lips parted, "What did he do exactly... how did he raise you?"

"Not like any normal parent would... I learned that a while later. He had his own unique ways." Clark kept his eyes on his plate as he spoke, "Most kids get to go out and hang out with their friends after school. I had to come home and start my father's incredibly long schedule of discipline. He made sure I'd have the full mind of a Luthor, learn to manipulate my opponents. I would ask to go play, he would shove another book in my face, or learn to fight, fence, or box. Some kids get a time out, I would get a Kryptonite induced bracelet strapped to my wrist and locked me in a room, until he decided I had learned my lesson when I went unconscious." Lois slowly brought her hand up to cover her mouth. Clark looked down and twirled the gold ring around his pinkie.

Lois looked down at his hand and then back up at his face, tilting her head to the side, her heart ached for him, "Clark I'm so sorry..." She breathed out.

Clark kept his eyes down with a small emotionless smile, "Don't be. It made me into the man I am. I didn't turn into a scared little boy. Lionel taught me how to face the world head on, he taught me to be tough." She watched as his jaw clenched his eyes black that sent a shiver down her spine, seeing something hidden deep behind those dark eyes.

"But still... that doesn't mean he had a right to hurt you, to use your weakness against you. I mean how early in your life did he put you through this kind of pain? The kind of pain that can kill you..."

Clark lifted his eyes to meet hers and he wore a twisted smile that didn't meet his eyes, "I was nine." Lois let out a small gasp, shaking her head to herself. He realized he had made the first mistake Lionel taught him, never let your emotions overpower your mind. Why did he just reveal all of that to her?! How could he be so stupid to tell her about his past like that? He vowed he wouldn't let this world play mind tricks on him and look what's happening, what she's doing to him. He needs to be more careful with his words and stop having these stupid heart to hearts! Clark suddenly loosened his expression, clearing his throat, "I think I'm done here." He said as he stood up, bringing his plate with him to the kitchen, standing in the middle of the kitchen, looking around in confusion. Lois stood up and followed shortly after to see him standing with his plate in his hand, looking like a lost little boy.

Lois chuckled which made him turn around, "Are you lost or something?"

Clark scoffed, rolling his eyes, "I've never really been in a kitchen before so... "

Lois furrowed her brows in surprise, deciding to cut the tension and getting his mind of the conversation they just had about Lionel, "Looks like you've been living on a pedestal too long. How many butlers did you have in your life anyways?" She asked as she took his plate and put both of them in the sink.

Clark grimaced, "It's not like that." Lois raised her brow at him, and he rolled his eyes, "Whatever, that's how I got to live it's not my fault I got showered with luxury while your farm boy had to spend most of his life milking cows."

Lois turned to glare at him, "My Clark learned about responsibility, independence, and that things aren't handed to you on a silver platter. He was the most down to earth person I knew. Which is ironic since he's not even from Earth." Her smile faded as she watched him stare at her. Shifting from one leg to the other, he didn't respond as he bored his eyes at her. He watched, thinking how much she talked about him with admiration, always defending the farm boy to him. There was that look in her eyes as she spoke about him, Clark Kent, a twinkle in her eyes as she talked so highly of him, "Clark?" Clark blinked as her voice broke into his thoughts. His eyes met hers as she gave a small smile, "Where'd you go?" She asked with curiosity.

Clark sighed, shaking his head, "Nowhere, forget about it." He said as he turned away.

Hesitating for a moment, she called out his name, "Do you want to have movie night?" He turned back to face her, Lois shrugged, "I mean let's face it, watching a movie is better than counting the bumps on the ceiling right? It'll be monumental, your first epic movie." She grinned as he rolled his eyes at her.

Scratching the back of his head, Clark looked around and shrugged, "Whatever."

Lois nodded and walked towards the TV, "Now the Star Wars series is pretty complicated, there are six movies, there's the first trilogy, and the second trilogy is a prequel of the first one which pretty much answers all the questions and explanations for the first one. But in my opinion, the first three are the best ones, even though they're older but I promise you won't be disappointed!" She said with enthusiasm as Clark watched her, amused at her excitement towards a movie, "I warn you though, 'The Phantom Menace' sucked."

Clark smirked, "Let's see if I like it enough to watch all six."

Lois squinted her eyes at him, "Trust me, you'll like it, there isn't a single person in this world that doesn't like it, and the ones I met who hated it... let's just say they never heard from me again." Clark raised his brows at her. He sat on one end of the couch, while Lois sat on the other end as they watched the movie together with much distance apart. After they had finished watching the second movie, Clark had turned to see Lois had fallen asleep. She was curled up in a ball as she leaned her head against the arm rest. Sighing, Clark had taken a moment to stare back at her face, she looked so peaceful in her sleep. He watched as she snuggled up on the couch, the one time he actually saw her face relax, as if there was nothing wrong in her life. He continued watching her, enjoying the fact that for once, she wasn't staring at him with those hazel eyes, giving him that look. Every time she looked him in the eyes, they found a way to make him feel naked, exposed, bare, and defenceless. Her eyes hold such fire, and fierceness in them, that when she bores them into his baby blues, he feels vulnerable, as if she can see right through him. Clark Luthor had never been afraid of anything in his life, not kryptonite, not Lionel, nothing. It wasn't until he came to this world when he met this Lois Lane, looked in her eyes, and felt fear in feeling exposed to someone who knew something within him that he didn't even know existed. He couldn't look into those eyes. It was a relief to see her asleep, being the one staring at her in return. He felt a calming sensation to see her looking at peace, the lines on her forehead finally relaxed. Taking a deep breath, Clark slowly got up off the couch and left her be as he returned to his room and called it a night.

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><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	23. I Never Told You

**Chapter 23: I Never Told you- Colbie Caillat**

_**I miss everything about you. I can't believe it, I still want you. And after all the things we've been through. I miss everything about you, without you. I see your blue eyes every time I close mine. You make it hard to see. Where I belong to, when I'm not around you. It's like I'm not with me. But I never told you what I should've said. No, I never told you, I just held it in.**_

The next day, Lois was doing laundry while Clark was sitting at the dining table reading the Daily Planet newspaper she brought him. Clark shook his head in disbelief, "So let me get this straight. Not only is Tess the train wreck the CEO of Luthorcorp, she merged with Queen Industries and made Oliver the majority shareholder of our company?! And she owns the Daily Planet?!" When Tess told him Oliver had taken over Luthorcorp, he was sure she lied to get on his nerves like he did to her, but seeing it in print made his nightmare come true.

Lois sighed while folding her clothes, "Pretty much. They're doing good business together, they've made a lot of changes over the years and I think it's the smartest decision they've ever made. They've been using their profits to help third world countries around the world, and focusing on medical lab research to find cures for terminal illnesses."

Clark scoffed, "You _would _say that." Lois narrowed her eyes at him as he kept reading, "This world is seriously messed up, Lionel would probably bring himself back from the dead just to kill himself from seeing this with his own eyes." Rolling her eyes, Lois chose to ignore him as she folded her clothes. Clark furrowed his brows at the paper when he felt something on his knee. Moving the paper out of his face he looked down and his eyes widened when he saw Chris, patting his knee with his small hand, trying to get his attention. Clark froze, not knowing what to do; he looked down at Chris as he grinned up at him, holding a bouncy ball up at him. Clark furrowed his brows at him and slowly took the ball from his grasp. Chris giggled as he leaned against Clark's knee, bouncing up and down... waiting for Clark to do something. Clark had no idea what to do, looking helpless, and threw the ball across the room. Chris laughed while chasing after it. Once he got the ball, he ran back to Clark and held it up again. Wigth a sigh, Clark took the ball and throwing it across the room again. Lois, hearing the noise turned to see what was happening.

She gaped at him and chuckled, "Stop playing fetch with my kid he's not a dog."

Clark scowled at her, "Well he seems to be enjoying himself. He's the one who brought the ball to me, what was I supposed to do?"

Lois shrugged, "Play catch instead?" Narrowing his eyes at her, Clark went back to reading the paper, while Chris ran back to him, but tripped on his feet, sending him flying to the floor. Clark, seeing this, lunged and caught him before Chris face planted to the floorboard. He picked him up, making sure he was alright. Clark's heart fluttered as he felt the warmth of the little boy in his arms as he held him closer. He had never held a child before, but somehow this felt natural... and weird at the same time. Chris stared back at him wide eyed, suddenly, Clark noticed his bottom lip tremble, and his face cringed as Chris burst into tears, wailing. Clark started to panic, trying to get Lois' attention. As soon as she heard his cries, Lois spun around, and stood shell shocked as she saw Clark holding him for the first time. She stood frozen, as if time had stopped. This was a picture she never thought she would see, Clark holding their son. Her heart sank at the image, an image she only yearned to see in her dreams, a wishful thought she never imagined would come true.

"Lois!" She blinked as Clark's voice broke her out of her reverie, as Chris' wails turned into piercing screams, tears streaming down his face. Her maternal instincts kicked in as she rushed to the two boys and took Chris from Clark, into her arms. She stroked his back, making soothing noises and Chris immediately stopped crying altogether as soon as he was in his mother's arms. He buried his face in her shoulder as she rocked him back and forth. Clark suddenly felt a sense of emptiness once the boy was out of his grasp and into his mother's. He watched as Lois comforted her son.

She turned to face Clark with concern, "What happened?"

Clark sighed, shaking his head and shrugging at the same time, "He tripped and almost fell on his face... I... uh... caught him before he did."

Lois nodded in understanding, turning her head to face Chris, "Aw did you get scared buddy? Did da- Clark save you from getting a broken nose?" She pecked his nose, which made Chris giggle against her, as he fully recovered from the prior event. Facing Clark again she gave him a small smile, "Thank you Clark." Clark's eyes shifted from Chris to Lois' eyes, the look that made him feel exposed again. He simply nodded, as they both ignored the fact that Lois almost addressed him as Chris' daddy.

Later that afternoon, Lois had fixed her and Clark lunch while Chris was taking a nap. She ordered 'Shawarma' as they both ate together. Clark cleared his throat, "You know if they're any closer to getting that mirror box yet?" He asked.

Lois shook her head regretfully, "They're still working on it, so far no progress yet."

Clark huffed, "Your friends are honestly useless."

"Hey they're trying their hardest okay. This isn't something they can just fix overnight it's in a completely different plane of existence."

"Who's fault is that?" Lois looked up from her plate and scowled at him. Clark smirked back at her. After a few moments of silence, Clark spoke up again, "Have you enrolled your kid into school yet?"

Lois gave him a confused look, "He's only 18 months old I think I have some time before thinking about school."

Clark gave her an exasperated look, "You realize how long the waiting lists are? I hear parents even register before their child's even born so they're guaranteed a good school so that they're not behind. Even I know that."

"I was planning on doing this when he turns three? Come on waiting lists aren't that long."

"They're not long if you want him to go to a crappy old public school in Smallville. If you want Chris to get into a good school, you start interviewing now Lane."

Lois scoffed, "How would you know about this anyways?"

"Common sense?" He shrugged, while taking a forkful of his food.

She raised her brow at him, "Not everyone's like Lionel who makes his kids start school before you can even begin to speak. He always was an overachiever. Let me guess... Excelsior Academy?"

Clark blinked once in surprise, and then smirked at her while Lois shook her head to herself, "You have no idea. I managed to read books by famous American authors and Brothers Grimm Fairytales instead of those Fisher Price books at six years old."

Lois tilted her head at him, "Well then overachiever is an understatement... How the hell did you manage to read those without falling into a coma?"

"I actually ended up liking them. They're really good reads and each one taught me a lesson about the truth about life, at least my life was never sugar coated as a kid like they did with the original Grimm tales in this world... I mean that whole Disney franchise twisting the stories into happy endings... really?" He said with a chuckle.

With furrowed brows, Lois asked, "So they don't have Disney films in Earth-2"

"Nope."

Her lips parted as she leaned her elbows on the table, "Humor me here, so you always knew Santa never existed." He simply nodded, "And you were okay with that."

Clark swallowed hard, "When I was little I never knew that it wasn't okay, so it was easier to just accept it that way. And Lionel taught all of that to us and his special disciplines when he wanted to remind me who controlled me and controlled what I should believe in." Lois' heart broke for him, at how hard his life was, she wanted to reach out to him and hold him, but restrained herself.

She sighed and tilted her head, "If you're childhood was based on the books you read... there must've been one that stood out from the others, what was it?"

The corner of his mouth twitched up as he thought about it, "John Steinbeck's 'The Winter of our Discontent' it's the one book I can read over and over again and never get sick of." Lois listened intently, "Taught me nothing in life is free... everything comes with a price."

Lois pursed her lips, "That's wise." Clark looked down at his plate, nodding to himself. They continued to eat in silence for the rest of the day.

Later that evening, Lois was researching on her laptop while Clark was watching a movie, leaning his arm across the back of the couch, with his leg propped on his knee, and Chris was in his playpen, enjoying a bottle of milk as he played with his toys. They all did their own business when there was a knock at the door. Clark's eyebrow twitched, when he heard the knock, turning to see Lois who clearly didn't hear it, her forehead creased as she was focused on her work. The knocking continued and it finally got Lois' attention. She looked down at her watch, confused at who would be knocking considering the fact that she wasn't expecting anyone. She got up from her chair and headed towards the door, when the knocking became impatient. Lois carefully opened the door and surprised to see a delivery man at her door. She gave him a confused look when he asked, "Lois Lane-Kent?"

Lois shrugged, "That's me."

He handed her a clipboard with a blank face, "Sign here please." She looked at him confused as she signed the clipboard and handed it back to him. Once he took the clipboard, the delivery man bent down to retrieve something he put down which was out of Lois' view till he brought it up. Her eyes widened as he handed her a vase filled with 5 dozen lavender roses surrounded by lilacs. Lois' jaw dropped as she took the bouquet of over 60 flowers which covered her view of the delivery man. "Have a nice day ma'am." He dipped his hat at her and was about to leave.

"Wait!" He stopped and gave her an impatient glance, "Who are these from?"

The man shrugged, "Beats me. There's an envelope in there somewhere I'm guessing whoever sent it left a letter." He turned to walk away before she could even answer.

Lois sighed, "Thanks you were a real help." She backed into her home and kicked the door closed as she walked to the kitchen. Clark, seeing all of this, looked stunned at the humungous bouquet of flowers Lois was carrying.

"Who are those from?" He asked, curiosity getting the best of him.

Lois shook her head at him when she placed the vase down, "I have no idea." She searched through the flowers for the envelope. She hit the jackpot when she found it deep inside the forest of lavender colored flowers. Before opening the envelope, she buried her nose in the roses, inhaling the amazing scent which brought a smile to her face. Whoever did this must've put a lot of thought into this. She opened the envelope as there was a beautiful gold card. As she opened it, she read the message and her smile faded as she went stiff, unable to move, unable to think, unable to breathe.

_Happy Birthday Baby,_

_I know you've been dreading turning the big 30 for years now, but I promise you I'm gonna make your day worthwhile starting tonight when we fly off to Barbados. I love you so much Lois, and I'm so happy that I have you in my life, I'm going to show you just how much I love you when we get to the island;)I know you said you didn't want to celebrate any more birthdays after 28 cause it'll make you depressed, But my wife's just getting hotter and hotter each year. You're the best thing that's happened to me Lo and I couldn't have asked for a better woman to spend my life with than my wild cherry. In case I'm out saving the world while you're reading this... surprise! I'll see you later tonight so go pack your bags._

_I love you so much Lo, you mean everything to me3_

_Clark._

Lois read the letter over and over again until it was embedded in her head. Her hand trembled as she was holding two rectangular pieces of paper written in marker, 'First Class tickets to Barbados- Superman Express'. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest, she wanted to scream, she wanted to just fall to the ground right now. Crushing the hand written tickets in her hand, she couldn't feel her fingernails digging into her skin. She strode into her office, without another thought and picked up her phone, calling the company that the flowers were delivered from using the business card attached to a stem. After a few rings a woman finally answered.

_"Terrafolia Flowers how can I assist you today?"_ The woman said in a perky tone.

Lois couldn't control her trembling voice as she spoke, "Hi I just received a bouquet of flowers and I was just wondering who they were from?"

_"Can I just get the confirmation code ma'am?"_

"I don't have a confirmation code... but it was sent to me just now I mean you must have a list or something about your deliveries?" Lois asked in an irritated tone.

The woman paused for a moment, _"Can I just get your address ma'am?"_ Lois gave her the address and waited for what felt like forever, _"Alright so I see there was a bouquet sent to a Mrs. Lois Lane-Kent?"_

Lois nodded, "Yes! Who sent them?"

_"They were reserved under the name of a Mr. Clark Kent."_

Lois shook her head, "That's impossible..." she breathed out. This was some sick joke someone was playing on her. Someone so cruel that they enjoyed the suffering of others.

_"Well that's what it says on our record ma'am... oh wow... Mr. Kent made this order two years ago, along with a card of his own he wanted to be delivered from us with the flowers... Did you receive them...? Mrs. Kent... Hello?"_ Lois fell silent as the phone dropped from her hands. She stood in silence, staring at nothing, holding the 'crushed tickets' in her hands. She looked down at the card in her other hand, shaking in her grasp.

"Lane?" Her eyes flashed to his face as he stared back at her in confusion, standing at the doorway, wondering why it looked like she had seen a ghost. Lois couldn't stop staring back at him. His face. It finally hit her. She didn't want it to but it did. Tears welled up in her eyes as she couldn't see him anymore. Lois dropped the tickets and launched herself towards him. Clark stumbled back, stunned at her outburst as Lois wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him for dear life, "What are you doing?!" He exclaimed. But Lois didn't even hear him as he felt her body shake against him, sobbing silently into his shirt as she tightened her grip on him. Clark stood frozen, not knowing what to do. He heard her sobs in his ear, and impulsively brought his arms up and wrapped them around her waist, holding her tighter against his body, there was no room between them whatsoever. Clark simply stood in silence, utterly confused as he was hugging her back while she continued to cry, something he never saw her do since their first encounter. He let her cry on him for a good ten minutes before he felt her deep breaths slow down. He felt her give him a tight squeeze, as if she never wanted to let go, before slowly pulling her face back, but didn't loosen her grip on him. Clark however, loosened his hold on her, but kept his hands on her hips. Lois pulled her face back to face him. They were a centimeter away from each other, Clark breathed in her scent, tears stained her cheeks, her face was flushed and her eyes were puffy... and all he could think of was how beautiful she looked. Lois stared into his eyes for what seemed like an eternity and Clark swallowed hard at her penetrating gaze, seeing right through him, into his soul, giving him no control to protect himself from her gaze. She simply bore her hazel eyes in his blue ones in utter silence. They were breathing each other's breath, as their faces were so close. Lois' eyes went down to his lips and then back into his eyes as Clark swallowed hard again, never feeling so vulnerable. This was so not like him; he usually took control of situations like these. He was the confident one, making the first move, making the others always meet his demands. Always. But this, all he could do was stand frozen and let her take the lead. He felt her chest rise against him and her grip loosened around his neck and she stepped away from his hold as Clark's arms fell to his side. They stood staring back at each other for a while before Lois wiped her face, "I'm sorry." She said under her breath in a strained voice. She turned to grab her jacket and the card, and brushed past him in speed. Clark followed her to the living room, watching her head towards the door only to see her freeze, as realization hit her. She turned to face Chris, hesitating before her eyes met Clark. She stood in the middle of the room, unsure of what to do. As if he read her mind, Clark spoke up, "I'll watch him." Lois gave a faint smile and nodded before heading out the door, leaving Clark with Chris as he continued to stare at the bouquet of flowers in front of him.

* * *

><p><em>Queen- Sullivan Loft<em>

Oliver hurried over to the door, ready to scowl at whoever was banging at the door like a maniac. He swung it open, ready to give them shit, but his face fell when he saw Lois standing there with puffy eyes and a flushed face. She walked past him into his home. He hurried up and closed the door and followed her, "Lois what's wrong?! What happened?" He said in a panicked tone, wondering if something happened with Clark Luthor. She turned back to face him, holding up a gold card, and two wrinkled hand written plane tickets in front of him. Oliver froze in place as his face tightened at what she was holding, something very familiar. His eyes widened as his eyes went back to her, "Oh Lois..." He said in a soft tone.

He took a step towards her, but she stepped away from him, trying her hardest to keep it together. Her fingers grasped the card so hard as she tried to speak through her sobs, "What... what is this Ollie..." She said in a weak tone.

Oliver sighed, giving her a sympathetic look, "It's your birthday gift." Lois shook her head to herself, not knowing what to say next. Oliver took her arms and guided her to sit on the couch. He sat next to her and took her hand in his as she sat in silence, "This was a day after your 28th birthday, he noticed how bummed you were that you were getting closer to 30, that you were feeling old and driving him crazy that you were trying to convince him that he wasn't gonna want you when you turn old. So he talked to me about wanting to do something amazing for your 30th birthday so you don't wallow in self pity about your youth." Lois let out a small humourless chuckle as she covered her eyes with her hand while Oliver spoke, "He wanted to make you feel extra special when the time came. But he knew you guys barely had time to do anything in the moment so he decided he wanted to take some time off and fly you to Barbados, he knew you always wanted to go there, but with working at the Planet and his Superman duties he realized there was never any time so... instead of waiting two more years and completely forgetting about it, he decided to order you 5 dozen flowers, make the card, and have it delivered to you in two years. To surprise you and to remind him that he made a promise to himself that he'd bring you to that island and let you know no matter how old you get, he'll always love you. Just you." He explained, "I remember a month later you told him you were pregnant... I teased him how he's gonna have to change his trip for three passengers." Lois sobbed some more when she heard that. Oliver's heart broke for her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and she leaned her head on him, letting her cry some more, "I completely forgot about it Lo... I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Lois shook her head to herself, "It's not fair... Why is the universe so screwed up! This wonderful man happens to me and then he just dies... why..." She breathed out, "Just when I thought I was getting better... this happens..." She squeezed her eyes shut, "I miss him so much Ollie."

Oliver closed his eyes, "I know."

Lois sat back up, breathing in and out, "At least he wasn't alone. He had all of you there for his last moments when I couldn't be."

He took a slow, deep breath, "You know... before he died, he opened his eyes one last time... and in his last breath there was only one last thought that came into mind before he died. One word before he left us... Lois."

Lois held her breath and couldn't help but break down into Oliver's arms again. After a while, they both sat in silence as Lois looked down at the wrinkled tickets in her hands, "He didn't need to take me to Barbados to let me know how much he loved me..." Oliver kissed her forehead and rubbed her arm as she continued to look down at the card. She looked up at him, "The flowers are so beautiful..."

The corners of his mouth curved up, "He had good taste... although the 'Superman Express' tickets were a bit dorky."

Lois chuckled and nodded, "Yeah well he was my dorky Smallville... It's not a surprise." She let out a small laugh, "I didn't even remember it was my birthday today. I spent the whole day thinking it was any other until those flowers came in."

Oliver sighed and squeezed her shoulder, "I'm sorry Lo... We're all just so busy with the mirror box it completely slipped my mind."

Shaking her head, Lois squeezed his hand, "Don't be sorry, you know I'm not a big birthday celebrator, I'm glad no one remembered..." After a long pause, she replied, "My 28th birthday was my favorite though... it was the last one I got to spend with him... and we made our son that day." Oliver couldn't help but hold her tightly in his arms, comforting her as much as he can. They sat together for a long while until Lois spoke up, looking around "Where's Chloe?"

"She's at Watchtower with J'onn Jones." Lois nodded, leaning her head against his shoulder again.

"When did life get so hard Ollie?" She let out a humourless chuckle, "It all seemed so much simpler a few years ago."

"I don't know Lo... I really wish I could give you an answer"

She stayed silent for a while, "I should go home, Chris is waiting for me." She said as she stood up and walked towards the door.

He stood up as well, following Lois to the door, guiding her with his hand on her back, "You sure you're gonna be alright?"

Lois nodded, "Thank you."

Oliver smiled back at her, "Happy Birthday Lois..."

Lois took a shaky breath, "Bye Ollie."

Oliver waved goodbye as she left his home, as soon as she was gone, his hand dropped to his side, as he stood alone in the middle of his home. Letting out a deep sigh, he walked over to the bar, pulling out a bottle of tequila and poured himself a shot, suddenly finding himself really missing his friend as he poured himself another one.

_ It was only a few hours later when they had buried their dear friend in the mausoleum built in the heart of Metropolis. Oliver and the rest of the JLA walked into Watchtower in dead silence, Diana, Bart, Hal, Bruce, J'onn, Dinah, AC, Tess, Emil, Zatanna, Victor, Carter, and Shiera all stood together, wearing a black band on their upper arms with Superman's symbol embedded on it. They all wore somber looks as the room filled in the sadness over the loss of their dear friend._

_ Oliver walked over to a chair and slumped down on it, slowly taking off his hood and glasses, hanging his head low, pinching the bridge of his nose. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Dinah giving him a sympathetic look, "Where's Chloe?"_

_ Oliver wiped his scruff, letting out a tired sigh, "She and Kara are with Lois and Senator Kent... they just really need to be with each other right now." Dinah nodded in understanding._

_ Victor leaned against a desk, shaking his head to himself, "I remember when Doomsday knocked me out... I was so close to dying. I couldn't see properly, I knew I was losing a lot of oil and I thought this was it for me..." He scoffed to himself as everyone listened, "Then I heard Lois' voice, she was kneeling next to me, trying to help me... trying to help me stay alive, encouraging me to fight." Victor shook his head, "She risked her life to make sure I was okay and... I feel like we failed her."_

_ Bruce closed his eyes and lowered himself down on the couch. Everyone lowered their heads in disappointment, guilt consuming them, unable to comfort the other through this. Bart shook his head to himself, "This doesn't even seem real. I mean we're all mortals... and every single one of us survived this war... and Clark... the invincible one... was the one who lost his life... how can anyone make sense of that?"_

_ AC walked towards Bart and patted his shoulder, "That's the true testament of a hero; he was willing to give it his all in this battle to protect this planet."_

_ Oliver huffed in disbelief at everyone's words... words of guilt, regret, hopelessness. Standing up, he walked over to the fridge and pulled out a bottle of champagne. Walking over to the group, who were watching him with confusion, he brought the bottle up, looking down at it, "I was saving this up for when their son was born... celebrate Clark finally becoming a father." Everyone stayed silence as some choked back sobs, while others held in tears. Who knew a group of strong willed men and women would all stand together at their moment of weakness. Staring down at the bottle, Oliver popped it open, while pouring each member a glass._

_ Diana, holding up her glass, smirked, "So what do you think Queen... each sip worth a hundred dollars?"_

_ Oliver smirked as he finished pouring everyone a glass. They all stood in a circle, as Oliver held up his glass, "We are washing away the past, and drinking to a new future. We're going to continue the legacy Superman created for us. He may be gone, but he left behind quite a big pair of shoes. We'll follow in his footsteps and continue to save the world... and as a thank you, we'll vow to look after his family, Lois and their unborn child, for as long as we live, and learn to never take life for granted, cause even the Man of Steel can't escape death. Clark was a martyr and we'll honor him through our lives as heroes every day."_

_ For the first time, a smile crept up to Bart's mouth as he held up his glass higher, "That's worth every cent amigo." Everyone in the circle clinked their glasses together._

Oliver closed the bottle as he remembered that night when the JLA promised to continue saving the world in Clark's honor, and stay as one. At this moment, he missed his friend, the one who always had a clear conscience, the one who made sense of everything, the one who helped pull him out of the darkness inside of him. He heard the door open behind him and turned to see Chloe walking in with a small smile, "Hi honey."

Before she knew it, Oliver strode towards her, gripping her face and crushed his lips against hers. She was surprised at first, but relaxed against his touch, melting into his lips as the kiss deepened, she wrapped her arms around his waist as he gently pulled away, only to give her two more gentle kisses. She gulped and slowly opened her eyes to see him gazing at her with so much love, Oliver pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear, "I want you to know something... If anything ever happens to me, if you ever... ever lose me, I want you to know how happy you made me."

Chloe drew her brows together as she brought her hand up to cup his face, "Ollie..." She whispered, pleading for him to stop.

Oliver continued, needing to get this out, "I want you to know how amazing my life was with you, and I'll always be here with you no matter what."

Chloe closed her eyes and swallowed hard before looking up at him again, "Nothing's going to happen to you." She said with confidence.

Oliver smiled, nodding, while stroking her face with his fingers, "I know... but, if it does, I just... I want you to be okay, and know that you made me happy, and you changed my life for the better, and saved me in so many ways. I love you so much Chloe."

Her smile widened into a grin as she leaned in to kiss him again, "I love you too."

He nodded at his wife, wanting her to stay in his arms forever, he stepped away, holding her hand in his, "Come to bed." Chloe followed him to their bedroom, feeling all his love for her, feeling so lucky to have him.

* * *

><p>Lois returned back home in silence, as Chris was sleeping in his playpen, and Clark drank some beer while reading the Daily Planet on the couch. She leaned her back against the door, staring back at him. Once he heard her, he looked up, watching her stare back at him. "Where'd you go?" he asked, sounding uninterested. Lois let out a deep breath, lifting herself off the wall and walking towards him. His eyes never left hers as she sat down next to him, looking straight ahead. She sat without a word, simply looking at nothing in particular, gripping the edge of the couch as they were sitting close enough that her arm slightly brushed against his. Feeling this, Clark moved slightly away from her, but not as far. He waited for her to speak.<p>

She lowered her head as it hung low, while she closed her eyes, she spoke in a soft tone, "They were from my husband... the flowers." Clark furrowed his brows at her, but stayed quiet. Lois slowly lifted her head, but kept her eyes closed, "He ordered them two years ago... to have it delivered today."

Clark's eyes went down to her hands, which were gripping the couch tightly, as he looked back at her face, seeing the flowers still sitting on the counter, "What's the occasion."

He watched as the corner of her mouth twitched up, she didn't answer for a long time, the silence penetrating the room enough to hear a pin drop. Lois slowly opened her eyes, but kept her face looking straight ahead, "It's my birthday..." She said ever so quietly. Clark blinked, he was taken aback, as he stared back at the flowers. Kent got her a birthday present two years in advance... He felt something pulling at his chest as he swallowed hard, wondering how she was handling this. "He was going to take me to Barbados... he was planning this for two years... but then he just... died." She breathed out the last word in a shaky tone. "We had so much planned for our lives... so much to plan for our son together..." Clark looked back at the sleeping baby in his playpen, and his eyes fluttered back to Lois, a sudden feeling crept over him, thinking back to the embrace they shared earlier before she left... suddenly wanting her to feel that again. He flinched when Lois finally moved her head to face him. He sat still as she burned her eyes into his, making him feel naked, exposed, watching her penetrating stare make him feel so vulnerable, knowing she was looking straight to his core. He wanted to escape her stare, but he felt frozen in place, unable to turn away. Lois sighed, "I know you said you didn't owe me anything... but..." She swallowed hard, "I never told him how much I truly loved him. I never told him all the things you're supposed to say to someone before they die. I thought we'd have more time. I thought I didn't need to say it all at once... that I had time." She wiped away the tear that escaped her eye. She stayed silent for a while, as her face cringed, fighting the urge to cry in his arms, "If I tell you what I should've told him... right now... will you hold it against me?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

Clark parted his lips, unsure of himself at the moment, simply getting lost in her gaze, he shook his head as he answered her, "No..." he didn't even think about it, it just came out, and he immediately regretted it.

Lois nodded, as she swallowed hard, hesitating at first, but took Clark's hand in hers, entwining their fingers together, she looked down at their hands for a long while, before looking into his eyes again, those familiar baby blue eyes, those eyes she vowed she'd spend the rest of her life with, the eyes she loved waking up to every morning for years, those eyes that filled with happy tears when she told him she was pregnant, those same eyes that held so much love for her that he let her know every single day how much she meant to him, and how special he made her feel when she didn't feel it herself, "I love you Clark. I never wanted to live without you... you changed my life from the moment I saw you in that cornfield, and you were the best part of it ever since. God I miss you... I see you in our son every day, and I know he'll grow up to be as noble, and strong-willed just like his father." She said in a soft tone, filled with so much affection.

Clark sat frozen in place as her words scorched through him, and all he felt was fear, fear at her making him look at himself, fear that she'll make him fall to his knees, suddenly he felt as though he had been awoken from a deep slumber, his eyes finally opened and he saw what was in front of him... and it scared him to death. Lois leaned in and gently kissed his cheek as Clark stiffened, closing his eyes at her touch. And too soon she pulled away, standing and picking up Chris, as he fussed in her arms, upset that his sleep was interrupted. He went back to sleep as he found a comfortable place in her arms.

Lois turned back and gave him a weak smile, "Goodnight Clark." Clark kept his mouth clamped shut as she walked to her room, leaving him alone in the living room, as he let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding this whole time.

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><p><strong>I'm sure you guys have alot to say about this chapterr and I'd like to thank you all once again for all your reviewss you should know that I read and appreciate them all :)! <strong>

**TBC!**


	24. 3 Rounds and a Sound

Heyyy againn:)

Yess the updates are coming ALOT faster noww cause I feel bad for having made you guys wait like 2 months for the last couple of chapters im picking up the pace and i want to finish this onee cause I want to work on another onee I started up:P anywayss yesss the last chapter was a tear jerker and im sorry this story got depressing lol but you know me and my angsty storiess... i do suck hahaha:P

Enjoy the newest addition to the story and i promise it won't be a sad onee lol!

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><p><strong>Chapter 24: 3 Rounds and a Sound- Blind Pilot<strong>

_**I was swimming, my eyes were dark 'til you woke me. And told me that opening is just the start. It was. Now I see you, 'til kingdom come you're the one I want to see me for all the stupid shit I've done. Like whispering "You know me. You know me."**_

_The Daily Planet_

"So I managed to get a hold of the archives in The Inquisitor... and the first victim, Louise Travis stopped working there about 3 years ago when she got a job here at The Daily Planet."

Jimmy raised his brow in surprise as he read through her file, "So she was a junior copywriter for the Daily Planet..."

Lois nodded, "She was... but get this, she quit the Planet around 6 months ago..." She continued to read her files as her brows drew together, "I don't know why I never heard of her before but I'm pretty sure she wrote a story initially intended to publish for the Inquisitor, but then she realized this was newsworthy and got herself a job here in the first place while she was working for the Inquisitor." She shuffled through all the articles scattered around her desk, "I'm thinking, since she's a journalist she's bound to get some enemies but maybe she wrote an article exploiting someone who could be a potential suspect for her death."

Jimmy pursed his lips, "So you want to go through every single one of these articles and make a 'most likely to be a serial killer' list?"

Lois shrugged, "Well why not? She was his first victim we can't narrow anything down. And considering the fact that I've been in the position of getting death threats because of my occupation, I wouldn't rule it out."

"I thought we were going to let the police do the investigating..."

Lois stood up straight and huffed at Olsen, "My job description is an _investigative _journalist Jimmy, stop being so Mr. Careful, if we want to get this story we need to do everything we can. They don't call it exploiting for nothing." Her eye caught Andy walking down the hall and she narrowed her eyes at her. Walking past Jimmy, she headed towards Andy, "What are you doing on this floor? Trying to snoop around my things again?" She said with a smirk.

Andy shook her head at Lois, "Stop being so paranoid Lois, it's a free country I can roam around this building whenever I want."

Lois nodded and added sarcastically, "And what a coincidence you happen to be on this floor just a few feet away from my desk... eavesdropping I assume."

Rolling her eyes, Andy replied, "Don't flatter yourself you're not the only one with a lead on this investigation." She cocked her head with a smile, "I have a few leads of my own and I'm pretty sure I've gotten closer to finding out who this Metropolis Suffocator is..."

Lois took a step towards her, "Andy I told you to back off."

"Yeah I heard you... but I'm not going to just be a little pushover and give you what you want. You know what... when I get my name on that front page article I think I'll change the headline... I'm not a fan of the Metropolis Suffocator." She kinked her eyebrow at Lois which sent her in a rage.

"You know you're using stolen sources, and I can easily go up to Perry and end your career."

Andy let out a chuckle, "Of course, your solution to all your problems is to go to your boss who you have a questionable relationship with... I don't even know why you're his favorite... maybe there was an added benefit to your promotion?" Lois was about to lunge towards her when she felt Jimmy restraining her arms.

"Whoa Lois! Take it easy, just walk away it's not worth it..."

Lois huffed at her, "Fine, go ahead with this story but trust me, you're stepping into my territory and I won't go down without a fight. I promise you I'll find this guy before you do and you'll end up mopping the floors. Careful not to break a nail." With that, she stormed away with Jimmy hot on her heels, "I need you to find out what lead she's talking about..."

Jimmy raised his brow at her, "Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical considering the speech you just made about stealing someone's sources."

Lois scoffed at him, "I need to know if she's telling the truth or not" She grabbed his arm and made him stop in front of her, "If Andy has something that could get us closer to finding this guy, I want it. Besides this is my article!" She hissed, "So do whatever you can to find out what she has."

"And how do you want me to do that?!" Jimmy scoffed.

Lois sighed, patting his shoulder, "You're a charming man Olsen, I'm sure you'll think of something."

Jimmy's jaw dropped, "I have a girlfriend Lois!"

"I'll explain to Charlotte if she ever finds out and besides, Andy flirts her way through everything it's time to give her a taste of her own medicine and shove a whole tablespoon of it down her throat!" Lois said through her teeth.

Jimmy sighed in defeat, "Fine I'll do what I can but I can't promise anything!"

Lois nodded, "Fair enough." She hooked her arm in his and pulled him towards her desk, "Now let's go through these articles and see what we can find."

_A few hours later_

Lois downed her third cup of coffee that afternoon as she was cooped up in her office with Jimmy next to her as they made notes of each article. One article caught Lois' attention as she slowly put her cup down, her eyes glued to the paper. She nudged Jimmy, "Take a look at this... " She gave Jimmy the newspaper clipping written by Louise three years ago. "This was the second article she wrote that was published for the Daily Planet after leaving the Inquisitor. It turns out she was investigating dirty cops in Metropolis... and exploited a specific one, Michael James Sanders." Lois continued reading while Jimmy listened intently, "She went undercover and exploited him as a member of the Intergang... it took her around 8 months to actually get enough evidence against him..." She stood up and paced around her office, "How would she be under cover for 8 whole months..." Thinking for a moment, Lois wondered, "Unless she posed as his girlfriend for that long, got so deep he was so in love with her and she crushed his heart within 8 months when she wrote this article and got him fired from the police force, he had his badge taken away... while she got herself a higher desk at the bullpen."

"What happened to him after?"

Lois shrugged, "I have no idea, she never wrote a follow up piece on this. She was done with her investigation... I wrote a piece not so long after this that exploited Morgan's entire Intergang establishment... and I've never heard of a Michael Sanders."

Shrugging, Jimmy suggested, "Maybe cause he was an undercover cop he was good at hiding his tracks and any connections with Edge."

Lois looked down at the article again, "This just says he was caught in the back pocket of Morgan Edge and now that he was turned in by his own girlfriend he most likely did some time."

Jimmy nodded, "We need to find out more about what happened to him."

Lois agreed, "I'll go visit the Precinct and see what happened to Michael, and then I'll go to the Inquisitor again and ask Louise's old co-workers and friends she still kept in contact with about her relationship with Michael and how exactly she was undercover in this investigation... I got to give her credit, with an article this good, it has credibility... at least front page worthy." she sighed, "No wonder she got a job here, I would've loved to work with her on a piece. With someone that committed to have stayed with a dirty cop for 8 months posing as a girlfriend, now that's a passionate writer." Jimmy nodded sadly. Lois swallowed hard and shook her head, "I better get going... thanks for your help Jimmy." She gripped his shoulder and left the building.

After asking some questions about Michael from the police department, Lois was walking towards her car when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Tensing up, Lois spun around as a reflex and brought her fist to the stranger's face, which caught her hand immediately before it came in contact with his nose. Lois' eyes widened when she saw Bruce with a smile on his face, "Bruce! Oh god I'm so sorry I thought you were a creepy pervert or something."

Chuckling, Bruce let go of her hand, "It's no problem Lo, I'm impressed with your reflexes, and sorry for the guy who tries to mug you." Lois smirked at him. Bruce shoved his hands in his pockets as he stared down at her, "How've you been?"

Lois shrugged, "I've been okay. I just got back from the Precinct I think I'm getting a little closer to finding out the Metropolis Suffocator."

Bruce raised his brows, "Really? Well that's good considering you've made it your mission to find him... just be-"

"Careful. Yes I know" She said with a teasing grin as he rolled his eyes at her, "You want to get a bite to eat? I have to go pick up Chris in about a half hour."

Bruce nodded, "I'd love to." Lois smiled as they walked down the street together. They stopped at a French cafe and got some dessert. "So tell me... how does it feel being 30 years and a day old?"

Lois' eyes fluttered up to him, "You remember?"

Bruce smiled, "Of course I remember. I'm sorry I couldn't see you yesterday... I had to deal with some business back in Gotham."

Lois waved her hand at him, "No no don't worry about it really!" Bruce smiled back at her, his eyes gazing down at the bracelet he had given her for Christmas, the Phoenix charm glistening in the sun. A smile crept up his face knowing that she always wore it. Lois kept her eyes down at her plate, "I got flowers... from Clark."

Bruce furrowed his brows, a pang of jealousy surging through him, "Clark Luthor got you flowers?"

Shaking her head, Lois kept her eyes down at her plate, "No... My Clark... he planned on sending them two years in advance... he was going to take me to Barbados."

Bruce looked at her sadly, his hand coming up to hold hers, "That must've been hard."

Lois nodded her head, drawing in a deep, shaky breath, feeling the familiar ache in her heart that's now become her best friend in the past year and a half, shaking away that feeling, "I don't want to talk about it anymore... what's new with you? I feel like I haven't seen you in so long..."

He sighed at her, nodding while biting into his cheesecake, "Well I asked Diana to look after Gotham while I was here..." He watched Lois' smile fade as there was fear in her eyes, "Don't worry, no one else knows about the situation here, I promise." He watched her relax as she listened, "She's out patrolling there now and keeping me updated on any crimes that are getting out of hand."

Lois grinned at him, "Looks like you and Diana have been getting close... you're asking her to look after your city for you... you must trust her a lot..." She said wriggling her eyebrows at him.

Bruce smirked, "It's not like that..."

"I bet you're going to find some creative ways to thank her for helping you out, maybe take her out on a date?" She teased.

Shaking his head, Bruce let out a deep breath, "Nah, she's not my type."

Lois scoffed in astonishment, "Not your type? She's gorgeous! What's not to like about her?"

Bruce stared back at Lois for a long while, feeling lost in her hazel eyes, seeing that glow he loved so much, "She's great and all but... she's not the girl who's caught my attention."

Lois slowly raised her brow, crossing over arms on the table as she leaned in, "So what does catch your attention Mr. Wayne?" Bruce stayed silent at that, his mouth in a firm line, "Come on I wanna know! What do you see in your women?" She urged.

Bruce took a deep breath, and looked up at her, a small smile forming as he saw her eagerness, feeling lost in her look, making his heart sink, "She's got to have those eyes, those kind of eyes that could see right through the bullshit, to the good in someone. She needs to be down to Earth, have a fierce independence in her, and a generous heart with staggering kindness..."

Lois blinked at him, as there was utter silence between them, Lois chuckled, "Well, if you don't see that in Diana, then I hope you find her soon. From your description, she seems pretty amazing." She leaned back, drinking her latte.

Bruce smiled back at her, and down at her bracelet, "Yeah... she is." He said softly. Inhaling deeply, he asked, "How's everything with Luthor? Is he still a douche?"

Lois licked the foam off her lips as she smirked, "No, he's actually been pretty decent with me. I mean yeah when he first moved in he just looked like he'd rather jump off a cliff than live with me, so he was an ass at the time but now..." She had a distant look in her, the corner of her mouth twitched, "He's seems to be opening up to me... a lot. He doesn't know anything about where he's from or what his purpose is in this world. You know there's so much hate in those eyes and for the first time, I saw... I don't know he just seems lost to me. Like he doesn't know his path in life and he's just trying to get by, figuring himself out along the way, and now that I've told him about Krypton, and his true origins... I guess that casts a speed bump for him, knowing all of this... knowing everything Lionel kept from him... it's like everything you thought you knew about yourself was a lie and all you have left is the truth and... he doesn't know what to do with that."

Bruce noticed her deep in thought, as she talked about Clark with desire, desire to know him better and it somehow didn't sit well with him, but he swallowed down the lump in his throat as he watched her zone out, knowing he wasn't the one she would think about. Clearing his throat, Bruce got up, "Hey, don't you have to pick up Chris now?"

Lois blinked as she looked down at her watch, "Yeah I do... you want to come with me? He's been missing his Uncle Bruce; I think you'd make him really happy if you came to surprise him."

Bruce pursed his lips, watching Lois wear her best puppy dog eyes at him, chuckling under his breath, he nodded, "Of course I'll come."

They went into his Rolls Royce and drove to pick up Chris at the daycare, as they were heading towards the bumble bee room, they were laughing together when they heard the little boy squealing in happiness, "Bwuce!" Bruce looked down to see Chris running towards him and he caught him in his arms, swinging him around.

"Hey buddy! Wow you're getting bigger every time I see you." Bruce said as he tickled Chris.

Lois grinned and kissed her son on the cheek, "Ms. Lane, glad to see you here again." The teacher said as she approached them.

Lois shook the teachers hand, "You too Carla, so was my boy good this time?"

Carla chuckled, "He has his moments, I did want to talk to you about one thing though." Lois nodded, as Bruce listened, in, "Chris doesn't seem to be getting along with the other kids... a little girl approached him, wanting to play with his toy, and Chris pushed her away... and she fell pretty hard on the ground." Carla said, tugging at the corner of her lip.

Lois' mouth opened as she turned to Chris, "You pushed someone?! Christopher you know better than that!" She pointed a finger at Chris, who hid his face into Bruce's shoulder. Bruce gave her a concerned look, and Lois knew what he was concerned about as it showed on her face too.

Carla sighed, "It's normal for kids to feel isolated and keep to themselves, but sharing is a big step to interacting with others, and he's just struggling with that... but it's gotten to a point where he's becoming a little aggressive."

"What do you suggest we do about that?" Bruce asked as Carla's eyes went to him.

Her eyes went soft as she noticed the worried look on both their faces, "I wouldn't take it as seriously right now, he's only 1-"

"Almost two." Lois chirped in.

Carla smiled back at her, "Well yeah, but try taking him out on individual play dates with other parents here, get him to share his food and toys with you."

"Isn't the whole point of daycare is to have play dates as a group and make friends?" Lois asked and Bruce nodded in agreement.

Carla replied, "Yes, but maybe try a new environment, does he have any other play mates outside of school?"

Lois and Bruce looked at each other and Lois shook her head at Carla, "He's mostly surrounded by grownups."

Carla smiled, "Well like I said it shouldn't be taken too seriously right now seeing as he's only one, but try and get him to control his temper, let him know violence is never a solution. Don't get me wrong Chris is a great kid and we try to get him to understand that, but he'd listen better if it came from his mom and dad." She said, nodding to the two of them.

Lois parted her lips as she comprehended what she said, shaking her head, "Oh no!" Lois chuckled "We're not... you know... he's not Chris' father... we're not uhm... we're not together." She stuttered awkwardly, that's never happened before.

Carla's eyes widened as she understood, "I'm so sorry I just thought that... never mind."

All three stood awkwardly as Bruce cleared his throat, "Thanks again Carla, say bye Chris." He tickled Chris' tummy as he giggled against him.

Carla waved at him and turned to Lois who in turn said, "Thanks for the heads up Carla, see you tomorrow." Carla nodded and watched the two walk away with Chris, wondering why Lois never brought Chris' father to pick him up. She had to admit Bruce Wayne seemed like the family type with Ms. Lane.

* * *

><p>They both walked down the street as Bruce was holding Chris, he glanced down at Lois who was biting her bottom lip with a worried look. Bruce put his hand on her shoulder and stopped her in the middle of the street, making him face her, "Lo?" She looked up at him, looking worried and as if reading her mind, Bruce reassured her, "Don't worry about any of it okay. There are so many kids who are aggressive and push other kids."<p>

Lois sighed, "Chris isn't like other kids Bruce... he has..." She looked back and forth, "Special traits." She swallowed hard as she stroked Chris' hair, "I'm just scared that his powers are going to show up more and more and he might hurt someone without meaning to... like pushing that girl... she fell to the ground Bruce. How many 1 year olds do you know who can push another kid hard enough to fall to the ground?"

Smiling at her, he replied, "Well in the kid's defense, he's almost two." Lois chuckled at that, "Whatever happens, we'll help you deal with it... Chris is going to learn to control his powers and you as his mother are going to do an excellent job in teaching him to and we'll all help you."

She sighed again, "He's just a baby... I didn't think his powers would progress this fast."

"You're looking too much into it Lo... it's just a little toddler fight. And if he does something... _super_... we'll just get Zatanna to do some mind wiping trick on the daycare." Lois started laughing and soon Bruce joined in, Chris seeing all the laughter decided to chime in too.

After recovering, Lois gently grabbed Bruce's arm, "Thanks Bruce."

He nodded, "Anytime." She turned to face Chris and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

Bruce grabbed hold of her hand, "Come on, I bought something for the little guy." He said as he led her to his car.

* * *

><p>Lois returned home, as Chris ran in before her, running around their home, while giggling, holding up a Batman action figure Bruce had bought him. Lois smirked at him as she tossed her jacket on the dining table, "Hey don't think you're getting off that easy young man you and I still need to have a little chat about what Carla said." Chris paid no attention as he shook the action figure around, chewing on the head as Batman was soaked in drool. Lois grimaced at him, shaking her head in amusement, when she heard the door to the bathroom opening. Her eyes widened when she saw Clark come out in nothing but a towel around his waist, while steam came out through the bathroom. Her lips parted as she stared at his amazingly sculpted chest. Her eyes roamed his body, watching the water dripping down his neck from his hair. Lois couldn't control herself as she involuntarily bit her bottom lip. She hadn't seen that body in so long.<p>

Clark walked out of the bathroom, from the hot steamy shower which felt amazing, to see himself face to face with Lois in the middle of the den. He cleared his throat, "I didn't hear you come in..." his voice trailed off as he noticed she didn't hear him, but was rather focused on burning her eyes through his body. Smirking at her, his ran his fingers through his wet hair, the corner of his lips twitching as he watched her awe struck by his lack of clothing. She looked like she was ready to pounce on him, "Like what you see?"

Lois blinked as his voice finally struck a chord, she stammered at first and spun around with her back facing him. She blinked a thousand times, recovering from her embarrassment as she blushed a bright red, being caught gawking at Clark Luthor, "I-I just got in... Didn't expect you to be... you know..."

Clark watched her back, his eyes roaming down her body out of habit, shaking his head, he chuckled under his breath, "You know you should learn to knock, what if I was... indecent." He said in a low tone which sent a shiver down her spine.

Lois inhaled deeply, "Noted." Clark grinned as he turned to his room. As soon as she heard the door shut, Lois turned back around, to see Chris giggling at her. Lois rolled her eyes at him, "Don't give me that look mister." She said as Chris ran towards her and hugged her leg. Lois smiled down at him, "Why are you so cute?"

Clark came out fully dressed to see Lois writing on her laptop while Chris was drinking apple juice while watching cartoons on the couch. He walked over to a cabinet and poured two glasses of scotch and headed towards the dining table, placing the glass next to Lois. She jumped at the sudden noise of the glass and looked up at him in surprise, "I thought you might be thirsty." He said as he sipped his scotch while seating himself on the other end of the table.

Taking the glass, Lois took a sip, licking her lips, "I see you've found my stash."

Clark shrugged, "I had a lot of time on my hands... there is one exception to this ring." He said looked down at the blue k ring and Lois followed his eyes, "I can finally feel the effects of alcohol."

A slight smile formed on her lips as she took another sip of scotch, "Well see now there's an advantage to being just like the rest of us humans." Clark rolled his eyes at her while she just smiled back. She went back to working on her laptop, while Clark looked out the window.

After a while, he spoke up again, "You still trying to find that serial killer?"

Lois looked up, and sighed, not sure if talking about her case was a good idea considering how their last conversation about it went, "Yeah..."

"And?"

She raised her brows as she noticed his curiosity, "I actually have a lead this time, a possible suspect. His name's Michael James Sanders, an ex cop who worked for Morgan Edge, leaking important information to Intergang members. He basically hid evidence, bribed witnesses, anything that can affect the prosecution's case against any Intergang members who were under custody of the Metropolis Jurisdiction while he was working there. "

Clark drew his brows together, "He was a dirty cop. Right in Morgan Edge's back pocket?"

Lois nodded, "You've heard of him?"

Smirking Clark nodded, "I've had a few run ins with Edge in my world... I kind of get the whole parallel universe thing now..."

Lois continued, "He's behind bars now, and the rest of the members are serving their time too. Anyways Louise Travis, the first victim, wrote an article exploiting him, that article cost Michael his badge, his reputation, and his entire career down the drain."

"Why wasn't he prosecuted? Louise exploited him as an Intergang member."

"Well he was prosecuted, but a light sentence because there was no other hard evidence against him other than the fact that he was leaking information, he never killed anyone. He was responsible for covering up crimes made by Intergang. He was sentenced to 3 years in prison and a fine..." She tossed him a police report, as Clark read it, she spoke up, "He was released about 6 months before Louise died." She blinked once, "That's when she stopped working for the Daily Planet... I wonder if that's why she quit, to get away from him now that he was free."

Clark continued to read the report, looking up at Lois, "So you think he killed Louise out of revenge... what about the others?"

Lois ran her hand through her hair, "I haven't quite put the whole picture together, but in order to get this story, Louise was undercover for 8 months... I spoke to her colleague and friends and they said she posed as his girlfriend for 8 whole months before finding the right moment to find enough hard evidence against him. They never knew about what she was really doing until that article was published and Michael was arrested."

Clark nodded, "So they were together... and he really liked her and felt betrayed when she turned him in and wrote a whole article about him... what happened to Michael after?"

Lois shrugged, "No one knows... he went off the grid and I spoke to the only person who does know, his parole officer and even he won't tell me where he is." She let out an exasperated sigh and gulped the rest of her scotch.

Clark titled his head at her, "What about his relationship with Louise... how was it..."

"Her friends say that they looked so in love with each other. They were together for only 8 months but his best friend and former partner at the precinct, Ian said that he was planning on proposing to her. He was head over heels in love with her... and that he was crushed when he found out it was all for a story..." Lois looked back at him, "What do you think? Is it too superficial to think he could be the killer?"

Looking back down at the report, Clark took a moment to answer, "It seems you have your motive for the first victim... but what about the other three? I don't know, maybe this guy could've killed her out of revenge but it doesn't seem like he would go on a killing spree."

Lois huffed, "I talked to Ian, and he said he only spoke to Michael twice, once after his parole hearing, he said he seemed like a completely different person, he didn't recognize his friend anymore. And then the second time, which was the last time he saw him, was 2 months before Louise's death. He said that Michael seemed like he was back to normal they went out for drinks, talked, but he didn't talk about Louise once... Ian said he was doing everything to avoid what happened."

Nodding, Clark asked, "Did Ian know about Michael's extra-curricular activities with Intergang?"

Lois shook her head, "He said he had no idea until he read Louise's article and Michael was in custody by then."

"You believe him?" Clark said with a raised eyebrow.

"You think I shouldn't?"

Clark shook his head, "How naive can someone be when they work with someone for so long that they don't realize their partner's working against the law?"

Lois shook her head and shrugged, "The Blue code of silence" she said as if it were the most obvious thing ever, "Cops have a code to protect one another and keep each other's secrets no matter what, and they stick to the code... if Ian did know about Michael then he kept his mouth shut about it to protect his partner..."

Clark pursed his lips, "Alright."

"Just like that?"

"You want me to say anything else?"

"Yeah, tell me what you think of my theory, am I just chasing a dead end here?"

Clark stared at her for a long moment, and saw that determination in her, "I think you have something... but his only connection is to Louise... if he's only connected to that one victim I'd say that's not good enough evidence to label him as a suspect."

Lois nodded, "I'm working on it... so far, there's nothing else connecting to Michael. I asked Ian if he heard of the other victims before, maybe Michael had a fling with them and he said he knew every relationship his partner was in, and out of the four women, Louise was the only one, not to mention the last as far as he knew."

Clark shrugged as he got up to get more scotch, "Then yes, you're at a dead end."

Lois huffed and leaned back on her chair, covering her eyes, "I'm not giving up that easily!" She called out to him.

Smirking, Clark responded, "You're the one who asked for my opinion." Lois shook her head at that.

"Ma-ma!" She heard her boy calling out, standing on the couch, giving her a toothless grin, while chewing on the silicone nipple of his bottle. Lois smiled back at him and got up off the table as she rushed to the couch, she tackled Chris on the couch, placing kisses on his stomach while Chris screamed and laughed at the same time, grabbing fistfuls of her hair while she tickled him. Picking him up off the couch, Lois threw him in the air and laughed with him as she caught him, spinning him around till they were both dizzy. Chris kept yelling out, "Again!" And Lois kept doing it till she thought she was going to get sick.

She was unaware, Clark was watching her from the kitchen island, watching her play with her son, making him laugh, which involuntarily brought a small smile on Clark's face, one he didn't even realize he was doing. Looking up at the clock Lois patted his head, "Time for bed handsome." Chris rolled his eyes exactly how Lois did and she just shook her head at him, "Don't give me that attitude Christopher or you'll end up sleeping on the floor." She carried him over her shoulders as he giggled all the way to his bedroom. Lois put him down and went to a shelf to grab a story book. Grinning down at him, she held up the book, "How about some nursery rhymes?" Chris responded by clapping and laughing, as Lois smiled lovingly at him, "I thought you'd like that." She read a couple of nursery rhymes while his eyes fought to stay away, every time they drifted closed, Chris immediately widened his eyes, trying to stay up to which Lois found amusement in. She read some more until his eyes finally drifted to sleep and they stayed closed. She quietly closed the book and bent down to kiss his forehead, her hair draping around his face. "Night Chris. I love you." She whispered as she quietly placed the book back in its shelf and slowly crept out of his room, turning back to the crib one more time, before turning off the lights.

Walking back towards the living room, swinging her arms around as she dropped on the couch where Clark was sitting. Leaning her head back, she looked up at the ceiling, as both she and Clark sat in silence, before he broke it, "Let me ask you something..." Lois moved her head to face him, he was staring back with an amused smile, "What was it that made you fall for the farm boy version of me?"

Lois stared at him for a long moment, her piercing eyes made Clark uncomfortable which made him shift in his seat, "It was his compassion... and the power he had to see the best in people even when they walk all over you." A small smile formed on her lips as she looked back into his eyes, "I guess that was the first thing that changed the way I saw him... the rest... well I gradually saw everything I loved about him, and it didn't take long for me to realize that it was literally everything... we were friends for a very long time, then became partners at the Daily Planet, he became the guy I go to talk about anything, and we fell in love, but weren't ready to get to that point with each other for a long time, it took a while for both of us to realize what we felt, and soon enough, my Clark took the first leap and kissed me, and the rest is history." She said in a soft tone, restraining herself from reaching out to him.

They stared at each other for a long time before Clark smirked, shaking his head at her, "And yet, here you are, a widow and a single mom, and all for what? To fall in love only to lose it all? It's not worth it Lane." He said with a small chuckle.

Lois drew her brows together, "You're telling me you've never fallen in love before? That you've never thought of settling down, to marry and have a family?"

Clark shrugged, "I'm fine with the life I've got, money, fame, women... that is until I got taken away from that." He narrowed his eyes at her to which Lois did the same.

Crossing her arms, Lois challenged, "So what about the first time you had sex? The first girl you lost your virginity to is definitely someone who meant something to you..."

Something pulled inside of Clark as he spoke, "The first time I had sex was no different from all the other meaningless times, I was fourteen and Lionel had ordered a hooker for me to f*ck to prove that I was a man. Ever since then, screwing women was just a hobby."

Lois' lips parted in shock, "Your dad made you have sex with a woman you didn't even know at 14? Why the hell would he do that?" she exclaimed.

Clark stayed silent for a while, and then turned to her, "We're not turning the tables on getting to know Clark Luthor some more, we're here to talk about you." Lois tilted her head at him, and nodded, "Lionel told me I don't age like humans, that I'm bound to outlive them, and many other generations... so why would you settle for a man who'll outlive you? To grow old with someone who's not going to grow old. You must've known that Kent would've lived for thousands of years after you... why would you give up on having a normal life, seeing yourself grow older when your husband stays the same."

Lois sighed, "Because I love him. Because there's no one else I'd rather spend the rest of my life with. Being with Clark Kent was the most normal thing in my life, it felt right to be with him and I didn't care about the future I cared about the now. Yes I would've died of old age before my Clark ever will... but we would've built a life together, and amazing memories, I have no regrets for spending my life with him. If I had died an old woman and Clark Kent held my hands the entire time until my last breath, I'd consider myself the happiest woman to die." She pierced her eyes into his as she spoke, "My mother always told me the ones who love you will never completely leave you. Deep down, they're always there within you... but it still hurts."

Clark Luthor blinked at her, the pit of his stomach doing somersaults, "It's ironic..." He managed to say, "The invincible one, the one who's supposed to live for thousands of years, managed to get himself killed within the first twenty eight years of his life?" He saw the tears forming in her eyes as she fought hard not to let them drop.

"Life's a bitch isn't it..." She said bluntly, and Clark noticed her hand instinctively playing with the silver chain around her neck which held her engagement ring hidden under her blouse. Thinking for a long moment she narrowed her eyes at him, "Is that why you've never fallen in love? Never gotten close to anyone to be their friend... to care?"

Clark blinked once, not wanting to answer her, wanting to make some sarcastic remark about how much his life was so much better with endless amounts of money and women. But looking back at her hazel eyes, he felt exposed, like it was an impossibility to lie to her, to create some bullshit, cause she'd see right through it. Taking a deep breath, he slowly answered her, "Yes..." He said in a quiet whisper. Lois was taken aback, not expecting that. "I will never immerse myself in someone else and be surrounded by all that friendship, family and love crap... cause at the end of the day, they'll all die and I'll still be here, unable to move on, and all alone with just those empty feelings to keep me company. I'd rather stay this way, the only way I know to stay alive, being used to solitude."

She looked back at him for a long while, "Doesn't it still get lonely? Not letting anyone get that close to you..."

He smirked, "When you're a billionaire you're never lonely, there's always someone throwing themselves on you." Lois rolled her eyes and got up.

"You know that's not what I meant; as great as it is to hear about your sex life..." Clark kinked his brow at her, "I'm serious, don't you get lonely? Don't you ever want to feel..." Her voice trailed off as she stared back at him.

Clark finished her sentence for her, "Needed?" Lois shrugged and then nodded, "Don't kid yourself Lane, everyone always ends up being alone, I'm just someone who's realized it before getting sucked into the whole fantasy of 'living in the moment' and you know what, I'm not complaining here." He walked past her towards the balcony and looked up at the stars. Sighing, Lois went to the kitchen, taking two beers out of the fridge with her, she followed him to the balcony and leaned against it next to him, handing him one.

She noticed he was looking up at the stars, "You know someone once told me that, life isn't worth living, unless it's lived for someone else." Clark looked back at her, "I just feel you're going to realize someday that you could be so much happier if you let someone in... it doesn't even need to be about love, but also friendship... just trusting someone. I mean the love of my life is gone, but he left me a son, and he makes it all worth it in the end."

Clark stared into her eyes for a long moment; unaware that he was nodding he turned away as they continued to look out at the city, "You make it sound so simple."

She smiled back at him, shaking her head, "You know that's not true..." They stood silently for a while, "Thank you" She said softly which made him turn to her, "Last night... I know I was all emotional and I pretty much poured it all on you. I know you're not used to being around emotional wrecks so... thanks for putting up with that. I really needed to talk to someone."

Clark nodded back at her and raised his bottle towards her, "Consider it a truce for having to put up with _me_." Lois chuckled at that and clinked her glass against his, drinking their beers together, unaware of the dark figure standing on a balcony from the building across watching them.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC ;)<strong>


	25. I Won't Let you Go

**Chapter 25: I Won't let you Go- James Morrison **

_**Say those words, say those words like there's nothing else. Close your eyes and you might believe that there is some way out. Open up, open up your heart to me now. Let it all come pouring out. There's nothing I can't take.**_

_Watchtower_

"Are you sure it's ready?" Oliver asked while Tess was helping Emil set up the technology.

Emil's eyes were still glued to the generator as he answered Oliver, "We're not quite sure if it's effective, for now it's just a test subject and we can see where we can go from the results."

Oliver pursed his lips while nodding, circling the object Emil was setting up, "Alright so explain to me what this little thingamabob is?"

Tess replied, "This was what we used to piece together the mirror box when Clark destroyed it. Emil made some modifications to it and combined it with the technology I had that generated the crystal of knowledge when I tried to activate it."

Oliver crossed his arms and furrowed his brows, "And how exactly will that locate something literally out of this plane of existence? I mean we're basically talking about going to the land of OZ here."

Emil smirked at Oliver, "When repairing the mirror box, I had collected a sample of a shard of the mirror box. We're hoping that the generator can activate the particles of the mirror box that are in this technology using the sample and possibly locate it wherever it is... like I said this is just a test subject we're just hoping to get a reaction that could give us a lead on where it is."

"I really hope you know what you're doing Emil, I funded a lot for this." He teased.

Tess rolled her eyes at him and stood next to him, "You're funding for this was money well spent compared to the green leather suit you constantly have to replace after every battle."

Oliver scoffed at her, "Hey enough with the green leather jokes! I've been hearing about this for like 10 years!" Emil chuckled as they all looked up when the doors opened and Kara and Chloe walked in.

Tess looked back at Kara in surprise, "I didn't know you were coming... I thought you said you were patrolling the Middle East today?"

Looking back at Chloe, Kara answered Tess, "Yeah I was, I just wanted to see if this technology was going to work. It does involve my counterpart cousin." Tess nodded, not questioning any further.

Walking over to Emil, Chloe asked, "So are you all set with the machine?"

Nodding, Emil replied, "Almost."

"How are you going to activate this generator?" Kara asked, "It's not plugged into anything..."

Emil turned to her, "It's computer generated it doesn't need a plug, I just need to put in a series of numbers, and click a switch."

Kara raised her brow, "That's it? Those simple steps can locate the mirror box? Seems farfetched to me."

Chloe shrugged, "It's just a prototype whether it works or not, we're not expecting to find the box this instant, just see if it can locate-"

Without turning to Chloe, Kara cut her off with a stern tone, "I don't remember asking you Chloe." Everyone was taken aback by her coldness towards her including Chloe, who's lips parted, astonished, but no one said a word.

Oliver looked back and forth at the two of them as Kara looked straight ahead, "Did I miss something here? Kara is there something you want to share with the class?"

Everyone waited as Kara sighed, "I'm just having a bad day, forget about it. Let's just get this over with."

Without another word, Emil nodded and turned to the technology as he began to activate it. After typing some stuff on the computer, he turned to flip the switch, "Here goes nothing." Everyone waited as he flipped the switch and nothing happened, they all looked back at each other and jumped when a white light emanated from it and shot through the sky, puncturing a hole through the ceiling right through the Earth's atmosphere. Everyone ducked for cover as it continued to shoot through the sky. After 30 seconds, the light disappeared and the technology shut down. Oliver helped Chloe up and everyone took a step towards the generator.

Breathing heavily, Tess turned to Emil, "Did it work?"

Emil looked closely at it, waiting for a reaction, when it suddenly steamed up. Oliver's eyes widened, "Did it just self destruct or something?"

Emil tilted his head, "Or something... it didn't work."

Everyone sighed in disappointment, Oliver patted Emil on the shoulder, "Don't worry doc, we'll figure something out."

Huffing, Emil, took off his glasses, "I was sure it would help us somehow. I must've calculated something wrong." He paced around thinking for a moment and turned to Oliver, "I'm going to need some resources from Luthorcorp."

Oliver nodded, "Sure you want me to take you to the lab?"

Emil shook his head, "I don't mean anything technological..." Oliver furrowed his brows at him, confused, "I want to see some of Lionel Luthor's journals and see if there's any information on it... Lionel was the one who kept the mirror box all these years so he must've recorded his research on it. I mean he wouldn't just keep an alien technology without running some tests on it and recording it with ink."

Chloe walked towards the two men, "I think he's on to something Ollie. Jor-El had chosen Lionel to be his Kryptonian vessel and stored all his knowledge into his head and he subconsciously recorded all that knowledge in his journals. Dr. Swann's journal's recorded everything about the history about Krypton and about Clark's heritage... but Lionel's were all about the Kryptonian crystals and technology, as well as the Kryptonian heritage; there's got to be something in there about the mirror box." She turns to Kara, "The journal's written in Kryptonian so you're going to have to go with Tess and read through it and see if you can encrypt any passages concerning it..." Her voice trailed off when she noticed Kara's steely glare as if she wanted to throw Chloe through a wall. Swallowing hard, Chloe turned to Tess, "You have your father's journals right?"

Tess nodded, "They're in the vault at the Luthor mansion."

Chloe nodded, "Go with Kara and let us know what you find." Nodding, Tess was heading towards the elevator whereas Kara stood still, glaring back at Chloe with her arms crossed. Turning away from Kara's stare, she was making herself busy.

"Kara?" Tess called out to her as she stood by the elevators. Without flinching, Kara slowly turned to follow Tess out of Watchtower.

Chloe held her breath until they were gone, she didn't notice Oliver's hand on her shoulder as she looked up at him with a concerned face, "What's going on with her did you two have a fight?"

Looking back at him, she could see he was concerned for her, smiling back at him, Chloe held Oliver's hand on her shoulder, "Nothing I can't handle, Kara's just having a bad day..."

Oliver didn't seem convinced, "She seemed to be taking it out on you the most don't you think?"

Chloe didn't reply she simply shrugged, Oliver was about to press the subject when Emil called him over to help him manoeuvre the technology. As he was helping him out, Chloe struggled to focus on her task as one thought ran through her mind, _She knows_.

_Queen/Sullivan Loft: 1 hour earlier_

Chloe burst through her doors with J'onn close behind her heels, "Oliver's at Watchtower with Tess and Emil right now testing the technology that could potentially locate the mirror box. I have to go meet them to see if it goes well..."

J'onn nodded as they stopped in the middle of her office, "So do you think this technology will work?"

Wrapping her arms around herself, Chloe shrugged, "I can't say, I really don't know... but I hope that if we locate the mirror box, then we can find Clark too. His disappearance has got to be connected to the box."

J'onn nodded, "There's no other explanation. If we find the box then we find Clark... but Chloe even if we do find him, I can't guarantee that he's even alive he's most likely still..." He didn't finish his sentence as he saw Chloe nod in defeat.

"I know... As long as we find his body... we'll return it to his casket in the mausoleum and I'll forget ever pursuing this mission on trying to bring him back to life." She breathed in heavily and had a sudden cold feeling within her.

J'onn watched her and placed his hand on her shoulder, "We'll find him Chloe... don't give up. You're the only one of us who hasn't given up so don't do it now. And even if we can't bring him back to life... you did everything you could." She gave him a weak smile and nodded, "I have to go now. I'll speak with you soon."

"Okay. Thanks for helping me decrypt Dr. Swann's journal." Nodding, J'onn left, and as soon as he was gone, Chloe let out a deep breath, turning back to her research papers as she looked through Virgil Swann's journal she took from Clark's loft, which proved to be useless as it didn't have anything about the mirror box in it as J'onn had told her when he translated it.

After a moment of silence, she heard a loud whoosh behind her, confused; she turned to see Kara standing in front of her, looking enraged. She opened her mouth to speak, but Kara interrupted, "You and I need to have a little chat Chloe."

Swallowing hard, Chloe tried to act nonchalant, desperately hoping Kara didn't hear anything with her conversation with J'onn. Putting on a smile, Chloe tried to walk around Kara, "I'd love to sit and chat, but everyone's waiting for us at Watchtower, Emil's testing out the technology they built for the mi-" She stopped in mid sentence when Kara grabbed her arm and yanked her back in front of her in one swift movement.

"Watchtower can wait. You and I both know this is a little more important." Chloe took an unsteady breath as she turned to face Kara. She narrowed her eyes at her, "You wanna tell me what the hell is going on? What you and J'onn are hiding from the rest of us?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Kara"

Narrowing her eyes on her, Kara replied with a low growl, "Don't lie to me Chloe. No more secrets. No more lies. I want full disclosure and you owe me an explanation as to why you kidnapped Clark Kent's body and now you somehow lost it." Chloe's eyes widened, _She knew_, Kara continued, "After I heard your conversation with J'onn I took a visit to my cousin's casket... I x-rayed it and you know what I found... nothing. Just and empty box!" Chloe winced, "What did you do Chloe?" Kara asked in a stern tone.

Taking a deep breath Chloe pulled her arm away from Kara and she let her arm go, "Okay... I'll tell you everything." Chloe ended up telling Kara everything about when she decided to take Clark's body a month before Christmas and J'onn helped her out, preserving his body in the Fortress, asking Jor-El to give him life energy, J'onn taking him to the Sun and all their other failed attempts to try and bring him back to life, up to the part where his body suddenly disappeared when Lois activated the mirror box and brought Clark Luthor to Earth-1. Kara stood there with her mouth agape as she took in what Chloe had just told her. Pacing back and forth, Chloe spoke in a nervous tone, "Please say something..."

Kara shook her head at Chloe, "Do you have any idea what you've done Chloe? How could you do all of this without telling anyone?! You kept this from everyone! Including Oliver and Lois... Oh god Lois..." She ran her hand through her blonde locks, "She's going to flip out when she hears-"

Chloe's eyes widened as she held her hands up, "You can't tell Lois?!"

She raised her brow at Chloe, "I'm not the Martian I won't just accept your plea you can't expect me to keep this a secret!"

"Please Kara..." Chloe pleaded, "You can't tell Lois... not yet. Just let me do what I can to find Clark and then I'll tell her. I don't want to disappoint my cousin... I need you to understand I didn't do this out of my own selfishness I'm doing this for Lois. I tried to see if I can bring Clark back and hope by some kind of miracle he'll come back to us..."

Kara looked at Chloe with disbelief, "You're not god Chloe! Kal-El died a tragic death and we all need to move on from that."

Chloe huffed, "Look, in all the years I've known Clark we've both seen way too much to simply give up on each other when the impossible happens okay. When I was taken over by Brainiac the Legion said the only way to save the world was to sacrifice me. Clark wouldn't have any of that and he found a way to save the Earth and me." She shrugged, "I owed that much to give my best friend the same chance he gave me."

"Yes but you did it while keeping it a secret from EVERYONE and look at the consequences! For all you know he could be in Earth-2 and Rao knows what the people in that world are going to do with his body!" Kara exclaimed.

Taking a deep breath, Chloe replied, "I know that now. We've ruled out the possibility that he's in Earth-2"

"How could you possibly know that?!" Kara yelled out, "You lost my cousin! And you're acting like you know exactly what happened to him but the truth is you have no idea do you!"

Chloe winced, as she sighed; trying to calm her down, "Just let me find his body. Let me find Clark and then I'll tell everyone. This is my responsibility and I intend to take full responsibility... I'm just not ready to give up hope on Clark yet. Please just give me some time and find Clark. J'onn and I have come to the conclusion that when we find the mirror box we'll find Clark as well so please... let's just see how this technology that Emil built goes and see where it takes us... who knows maybe Clark's body will appear back in the Fortress today... and as soon as that happens I'll tell everyone what I did."

Kara stared at Chloe for a long time before sighing, "Fine Chloe. We'll do it your way for now. But I'm warning you, if all else fails, Lois has a right to know and it's not going to be pretty when she finds out what you've been keeping from her."

Chloe sighed and nodded, "I know. Thank you Kara."

Kara shook her head slightly, still appearing to be angry, she headed out the door, "Come on, let's see if Emil found a way to get the mirror box. You better hope this works Chloe." Without another word, Chloe followed Kara to Watchtower.

* * *

><p><em>Lane Condo: Present Time<em>

Fixing herself a cup of coffee she turns to see Clark getting up from the couch, "Turns out you were right..." She tilted her head, wondering what he was talking about, "'The Phantom Menace' is crap."

Shaking her head, Lois giggled at him, "I told you! I never lie when it comes to this. You gonna watch the other ones?"

Clark rolled his eyes at her, "After that one? I'm done with Star Wars."

Lois took a sip of her coffee while he poured himself one, "Well I guess the Indiana Jones trilogy is next."

He scoffed at her, "More Harrison Ford? Great."

Lois smirked, "There's always Die Hard. I think you'll like that, it's my favorite."

"It must suck then." She squinted her eyes at him as she turned away to pick up the paper on her dining table, "How's the story going? You find the serial killer yet?"

Lois shook her head as she sighed, "No leads other than the Michael guy. I looked into his profile and he matches the description, tall 6'4, dark hair..."

Clark smirked at her, "Yeah and so is half of Metropolis. Come on Lane I thought you were actually good at your job."

"Hey I am good at my job! This guy's just really good at covering his tracks... I'm meeting a source tomorrow who was a former Intergang member in Kansas State Penitentiary. I hope he could help me out and let me know of Michael's whereabouts." She said while looking down at the paper.

Clark's face suddenly tightened as he stepped towards her, "You're meeting a member of Intergang?" He hissed.

Lois turned to him, as she heard the sudden edge to his voice, "Well former member. Intergang doesn't exist anymore..."

Crossing his arm, Clark cautiously asked, "What do you expect to get out of him? He's probably looking for some way to get money and he's bullshitting you his information."

She smiled triumphantly, "Well considering the fact that he's still in prison he's not going to make much use of money."

Clark stared back at her, confused, "Who would you be getting information about another member like this from-" And like that, he fit the puzzle pieces together, watching Lois worry her bottom lip, his face tightened, as he fought to keep his cool, "You're meeting with Morgan Edge." He said each word slowly, through his teeth.

Clearing her throat, Lois shuffled her papers around, "He offered to give me information."

"In exchange for what?!" He exclaimed as his voice grew louder.

Her eyes met his as she moved her hair out of her face, "Well his first intention was for his freedom but I told him that's off the table since I can't control that... and then he said he won't tell me anything unless I help him get out... so instead I found another alternative to make him speak."

He raised his brow as Clark took a step towards her, "Which is..."

She fidgeted with her hands for a moment before answering him, "I found out Edge has a son... and he's been hiding that fact for nearly two decades no one knows about this. And I've found out some evidence that could put his son on Metropolis' radar... just some offenses that Morgan's helped his son get away with. He's a professional con artist. So, I was thinking of using that to make him tell me what I want." She noticed the look he was giving her as he was about to burst as she quickly came up with a defense, "Morgan will do whatever he can to protect his son's identity and I know just by using a little bit of blackmail it's get him to just tell me where Michael could be and any connections he had with the other victims."

Clark on the other hand felt something very wrong and just hearing her made him feel sick, "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?! You really think Edge is going to just give in to blackmail?! Especially from a journalist! You're basically asking to become a walking target. You might as well hold up a sign saying, 'Shoot here I'm your enemy'!" Lois blinked, taken aback by his outburst, "Do you really think Morgan Edge is going to let you live to tell the world his son's identity regardless of the fact that you're simply investigating an ex-dirty cop on a separate case? Morgan Edge doesn't want anyone to poke their nose in his business at all! You think he doesn't still have connections to the outside world?! You're seriously delusional if you think there won't be any consequences from this Lane, this is probably the stupidest plan I've ever heard!"

Lois furrowed her brows at him, "Trust me I can handle Morgan Edge, I've had a lot of people giving me death threats just so I can drop a story and they all know I'm not one to do that. Besides he's delusional if he thinks he can get away with murdering Lois Lane without the Justice league on his ass."

Clark scoffed in disbelief, "You're just in your own little world right now. You're not invincible! You can't just walk around gathering evidence in places you shouldn't be. Even if it has nothing to do with Intergang, there's a fine line there and you're about to cross it."

Shaking her head, Lois put her mug down, "I can take care of myself thank you! For now this is purely about whether or not I should rule Michael out as a potential suspect okay! I'll deal with the rest later and if I have the opportunity to find this serial killer using a bit of blackmail I'll take it and whoever wants to come at me can try, but they won't succeed." She said with her hands on her hips.

He blinked back at her confidence, that what he just said didn't scare her one bit, as if it was just another day at the office, "Lane I've worked with Morgan Edge in my world... he obviously works under me, but I know what he's capable of. Whether he's behind bars or not he won't lose the upper hand to a Daily Planet reporter" He said in a stern tone.

Lois sighed and nodded, "That's a little late considering he's helpless in prison with no chance of parole." She turned to close her laptop, "Don't worry, I'll be fine Smallville." She froze as soon as the name left her lips. Her eyes slowly went to his as he furrowed his brows in confusion at her, completely lost at what just happened. It came out so casually, so natural out of pure impulse... She swallowed hard as she stood frozen, her eyes never left his and Clark couldn't find himself moving a muscle. She thanked god for the sudden knock on the door that saved her. They both moved at the same time. Clark walked towards the living room as Lois rushed to get the door, grinning as she saw Bruce.

"I just got a call from Ollie and got an update on the mirror box." He said as she let him in.

Lois' lips parted as her heart sank, she suddenly felt sick, as her entire body shuddered at the thought of him leaving, "What is it..." She whispered.

Bruce sighed, tilting his head at her, "Emil built a piece of technology to track it down but it was just a test shot so it didn't work out. There was apparently a bright light that shot up at the sky but as far as that nothing happened."

Lois jerked her head back in surprise, "When did this happen?"

"This morning. I was on a conference call with Wayne Industries so I couldn't be there, but Oliver said it was a complete fail so they're making a up a new plan..." His voice trailed off when he noticed Clark a few feet away with his arms crossed, listening intently. This made Bruce feel uncomfortable as he turned back to Lois, ignoring Clark Luthor, "Here's the thing... we're kind of going to need you to write about the mysterious white light shooting through the sky from Watchtower... cover our tracks and maybe say it was some basic military training exercise or something?"

Raising her eyebrow at him, Lois gave him an amused smile, "Since when does the military shoot beams of white light into space in the middle of the city." Bruce sighed and tilted his head at her which made Lois laugh as she hit him gently on the arm, "I'll do my best to spin it."

"Thank you." They both stood in awkward silence as Bruce turned to Clark who glared back at him.

"Oh no need to acknowledge me we don't need to be acquainted to talk about something that concerns me." Clark said sarcastically.

Lois cleared her throat awkwardly as Bruce turned to her, leaning forward which created an unknown rage within Clark at how close he was getting to her, "Lois can we take a walk outside for a bit? I kind of need to talk to you about some stuff... about what the League plans to do next..." Lois hesitates at first but silently gasps in surprise when she feels Clark's chest slightly brush against her back and she realized he was right behind her.

Bruce looks behind Lois to glare back at Clark, who says, "Whatever you have to say to Lane here you can say to me. Besides, anything about the mirror box involves me too so enough with the secrets Wayne." He said in a stern tone.

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Clark, "This is more of a private matter not everything concerns you Luthor." He looks down at Lois as his features become softer, "Lo, do you mind?"

"Well... I don't think I should leave Clark alone..."

Bruce chuckled at her, "He's a big boy Lois I think he can handle being on his own for a bit... then again you never know with this one. After the little stunts he pulled at Watchtower maybe he does need to be treated like a little b*tch." He nodded towards Clark.

Clark growled and took a step towards him while made his chest hit Lois' back as she jumped forward with him. Impulsively, Lois turned and put her hands on his chest, "Whoa back off Clark! He's just messing around!" Lois raised both her brows as looked back at the two men, realizing she was wedged in between them. Clearing her throat once again, Lois turned back to Clark, "Clark?" He didn't seem to hear her as he continued to give Bruce death glares, "Clark!" He finally looked down at her as she gave him a weak smile, "Do you mind watching Chris for me while I step out?"

Clark blinked, taken aback that she had chosen to go with Wayne, unable to say anything else he gave her a stiff nod, stepping away from Bruce. She was about to get her jacket as Bruce called out, "Why don't you bring Chris too? I miss the little guy." Hearing that made Clark's blood broil he just wanted to knock him out, and cause him serious pain, mind blowing pain.

Lois shouted behind her as she went to her room, "He's sleeping right now I don't think he'll like either of us that much if we wake him up."

Chuckling Bruce responded, "Aw are you kidding, the kid loves me. Every time I come over he looks at me like I'm Santa." As he spoke he watched Clark to see his reaction who was gritting his teeth, turning to watch Lois come back with her purse.

She laughed at him, "That's true, probably cause of all the toys you spoil him with you might as well be." She said as she narrowed her eyes at him. Bruce shrugged innocently. She turned to Clark, "I'll be back soon okay?" Clark didn't answer her as he walked away. Lois sighed as she turned back to Bruce and he led her outside. They walked to his car and Lois squealed with excitement, "I love when you take the Lotus!"

Bruce chuckled, "I know you do."

"Aw you took it out just for me?" She teased as he opened the door for her.

"Something like that" He said as she got in, but didn't hear him.

They drove off as Clark looked down from the balcony, shaking his head to himself as he saw them drive off, confused at why he was feeling so... angry? He scoffed, why would he get angry at that? Lane and Bruce can do whatever the hell they wanted for all he cared. As he thought about her, and what they might be doing together, made his anger rise even more, until he heard Chris calling out for his mother in his room. Sudden his rage went away at the sound of that boy's voice. Turning around, he faced the hall that led to his room, as his calls became louder. Sighing, he headed down the hall and opened the door to see Chris leaning against the crib, with his dark hair messed up like he rolled around during his nap. Smiling at that, Clark spoke up, "You're mom's not here." Chris simply gave him a blank stare and Clark never felt so stupid, of course an 18 month old wouldn't understand that. Chris held out his hands towards Clark, who was still standing at the doorway. Clark's eyes widened as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other. Chris simply stood impatiently against his crib waiting for Clark to hold him. Sighing in defeat, Clark slowly and cautiously walked towards the baby and extended his arms out to him, lifting Chris out of the crib as Chris comfortably settled into his arms, wrapping his tiny hands around his neck. Clark stared back at Chris face for a long time and Chris had wide beady eyes before he broke into a smile and giggled loudly. Clark smiled back at him and took him out to the living room, trying to put him down in his playpen, but Chris threw a hissy fit, not wanting to be put down as he clung to Clark's shirt for dear life. Clark surrendered and held him up again, "Alright, what do you want?" He asked. Chris mumbled a whole bunch of noises together which made no sense as Clark looked around for help.

Chris put both palms on his cheeks and leaned his forehead against his, "Hoongy!" He squealed out.

Clark blinked a couple of times, "You're hungry?" Chris giggled and buried his face in the crook of his neck. Clark found himself chuckling as well as he went to the kitchen, "Let's see what your mom left you." He went to the fridge where there was milk in the bottle, and then went to the cabinet where there was smushed baby food. Debating for a while, Clark went with the milk, no way was he feeding a baby, Chris could feed himself. He took out the milk and was about to hand it to Chris but stopped for a moment, trying to remember what Lois always did. Putting the bottle in the microwave, Clark gave Chris his bottle and as soon as it was in his hands, his eyes lit up and he drank it vigorously as Clark smiled, "You weren't kidding when you said you were 'hoongy'." He teased.

Finally putting Chris down on the floor, Clark sat down next to him and opened up his toy chest. Chris pulled himself up and pulled out a bunch of toys out, handing each one to Clark to hold. Clark smiled as he plopped down on the floor and started playing with his toys, and then giving it to Clark play with it the same way. Clark pulled out the 'Whack-a-Mole' game as they started playing together and Chris jumped up and laughed whenever Clark hit a mole every time, and he helped Chris actually hit the mole on the head.

Meanwhile Bruce had finally come to a stop by the park as he and Lois walked down the lake. She looked back at the water as they walked, "This is so nice. I haven't been here in so long. I've been so busy with work that I pretty much forgot this existed. I should take Chris here soon." She said as Bruce listened to her intently. She turned back to him with a grin, "So what'd you want to talk to me about?" Bruce nodded as he filled her in on what the league was planning, how Kara was currently encrypting Lionel's journals back when Jor-El used him as a vessel. Lois nodded as he spoke and when he was done, the corner of her mouth curved up, "That's not what you actually wanted to talk about is it?"

He smiled back at her as he looked down at his feet, "How'd you know?"

They came to a stop at a cliff which had a full view of the lake and Lois propped herself down on the ledge as Bruce did the same. She swung her legs back and forth as they looked back at the lake, "Cause you could've easily told me this back at my house if that was all, along with the first attempt at trying to locate the box... but you kept that part of information as a back up to lead up to what you actually wanted to talk to me about... some private matter." She nudged him as he smiled which didn't meet his eyes, "What is it Bruce?" He looked into her eyes as she waited, "You know you can talk to me about anything."

Taking a deep breath, Bruce realized, _It's time_. He stayed silent for a long while which made Lois incredibly uncomfortable, but soon enough, he finally spoke up, "How long have we known each other Lo?"

Pursing her lips, Lois thought for a moment, "I think it's about 8 years? And counting" She teased.

Nodding, Bruce agreed, "Yeah... 8 years. I've been seeing things real differently lately, feeling something that I haven't felt in a long time, feeling something for you." Lois blinked, taken aback by that. Bruce took her hand in his as he looked into her hazel eyes, "There's no other way to lead up to this smoothly so I'll just say it... I'm in love with you Lois Lane." Lois' lips parted, completely speechless as he continued, "I think I've been feeling this way for a long time now. We've gotten to be really close since... you know." Lois swallowed hard at that, "I just... there was something about you which made my heart skip a beat, you just made me smile and that rarely happens, and being around you and Chris it just... I love being around you two, being a part of your lives made me feel complete... and somewhere along the way I fell in love with you. I just... I needed you to know that. I love you Lo."

Lois inhaled a deep breath and turned her head to look straight into the lake, "Oh wow... I... I had no idea." He stayed silent, waiting for her to speak as she took it all in. She did not see that coming, and then she thought back to what he said before,

_She's got to have those eyes, those kind of eyes that could see right through the bullshit, to the good in someone. She needs to be down to Earth, have a fierce independence in her, and a generous heart with staggering kindness..._

Tears formed in Lois' eyes when she came to the realization he was talking about her that time they went out for lunch the day after her birthday. She turned to him and squeezed his hand, "I love you Bruce. I do... but..." Her voice trailed off when she saw him smile, as she continued, "You're my best friend. You've helped me go through so much... I mean I think you of all people know about all the crap I'm feeling inside more than anyone and you understand it. You being here with me makes me happy..." Her voice cracked as she fought hard not to cry, "I'm so sorry Bruce... but I don't feel the same way... I love you as a dear friend..." She said softly.

Bruce looked down at their hands for a long while, playing with the bracelet he got her for Christmas, the Phoenix charm between his fingers, before looking up at her again, "It's pretty much what I was expecting ... I know your heart always belonged to Clark." Lois tilted her head, swallowing hard, "I love you Lois. I think I have for a long time now, but it was okay when you were with Clark. I guess I always thought your hearts were the same."

She wrapped both of her arms around his and leaned her head against his shoulder, "I'm so sorry Bruce... I never knew. I just..." She winced, "I don't want to lose you now that-"

Bruce chuckled under his breath, "Don't be sorry Lo. No matter what I'm not going anywhere. I always knew you wouldn't feel the same way. But I just want you to know something. Getting to be here with you right now, being in your life and Chris'... I would give it all up if it could bring Clark back."

Lois choked back tears as she squeezed his arm, "Thank you" She whispered softly as he kissed the top of her head while they sat there in silence, looking down at the lake, "Why did you keep it in for so long?"

Bruce looked back down at her bracelet, taking a deep breath, "Cause you needed a friend more than anything. I wanted to wait till you were able to deal with it, until you were ready to hear it, cause I knew no matter when I'd say it... you wouldn't feel the same. There was always a part of me that was hoping you'd feel the same so I wanted to take a chance and tell you now, but it was okay, cause I'd be fine with just being your friend, I'm not letting you go Lois. I'm still here you won't lose me." Lois closed her eyes, inwardly thanking Bruce for being the person that he is.

About two hours later, Bruce dropped her off in front of the entrance as she turned to him, "Thank you Bruce... for everything. For what it's worth I'm glad you're in my life."

Bruce stared back at her, nodding, "Goodnight Lois." She leaned in to hug him as he breathed in her scent, while she wrapped her arms around his neck. As she pulled away, Bruce tugged her waist closer to him as he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. He took her by surprise she didn't see it coming. She sat stiff for a moment, and soon reciprocated as he kissed her gently, cupping her face, breathing in her scent, while she moved her lips against his when he slowly pulled away, winking at her, "I always wanted to do that."

Lois stood with her lips parted in shock and soon broke into laughter and held up a finger, "Never again though."

He nodded grinning back at her, "Fair enough." She got out of the car and waved goodbye as she breathed in the breeze that swept by her face as she entered the lobby, unaware that Clark Luthor stood outside her balcony from above, witnessing the whole thing, gripping the railing so hard his knuckles turned white.

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><p><strong>More updates coming soon;)<strong>

**Can't wait to read your reviewss:D!**


	26. Squealing Pigs

Just to let you guys know I hate the title of this song i don't even see the relevance of it in the lyrics and I didn't even want to write it as a title to this chapter cause it's just weird. but I love the lyrics nevertheless so... just ignore the title:P

Thank you all for the reviewsss I hope i didn't make you wait too long:)

Enjoy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 26: Squealing Pigs- Admiral Fallow <strong>

_**Cause sometimes it's who, not what you do. Just because your father did, doesn't mean that you should too. I don't want to lose you. Don't go away from here.**_

Lois took her time going up to her place, taking in everything Bruce had told her, and thankful of the fact that it didn't affect their friendship. She felt her heart flutter as she got closer to her door, seeing Clark again brought a smile to her face. She opened the door and walked in, seeing Chris running around with his rubber airplane. Once he spotted his mother, he yelled out, "Ma-Ma!" as he ran towards her. Lois swung him up in her arms.

"Hey baby! Did you have fun with Clark while momma was gone?" He giggled and she nuzzled her nose against his. She put him down as he continued to play with his toys. She grinned down at him and dropped her jacket on the table, seeing Clark lean against the balcony, his back to her. She crossed her arms, leaning against the frame, "Hope my kid wasn't too much of a hassle while I was gone." She teased.

Clark kept his back turned towards her, "He was fine." He replied in a monotone voice.

Lois drew her brows together, figuring he was in one of his moods, "Okay..." Her voice trailed off as she turned to leave when his voice stopped her.

"Did you enjoy your quickie?" Lois froze in place and abruptly turned around as he continued to have his back to her.

"What did you just say to me?" She said in astonishment.

Clark turned with an amused smile, which sent a shiver down her spine as she noticed his eyes darken and looked ice cold, "You don't have to put up an act for me, the walls could see the sexual tension between you two. Couldn't wait to be alone huh? To get out of the house, go somewhere quiet so you won't get caught. Pretty sloppy if you ask me." He shrugged.

Lois' jaw dropped as she fumed, "You don't know what you're talking about." She said in an icy tone.

He raised his brow at her, "It's not a surprise really, first Oliver, then Kent, now Bruce, you really get around. So who's next in the League?"

She clenched her jaw, "How could you say that about me? You don't even know me!"

Clark smirked at her, "You're right, I don't. Trust me though, I've seen enough." He tried to brush past her when she roughly caught his arm, and their faces were inches apart, he felt her breath on his face and felt numb.

Lois' hazel eyes glared up at him, "Don't you dare, call me a whore. You don't know anything. Bruce and I are just friends." He looked into her eyes and saw determination in them.

Something inside of him wanted to believe her, so badly, but as quickly as his muscles relaxed, they tensed up again from the image of her lips against Wayne's... and anger boiled up inside of him again. Bruce isn't the one who should be kissing her; he shouldn't be the one to get to hold her. But he knew what he saw. Slowly pulling his arm away, he leaned closer to her, as they were inches apart, "That kiss you shared in his car didn't seem so friendly. Tell Wayne to keep the top up next time. Figures someone like you just can't keep her legs closed. " With that, he brushed past her and went inside, leaving Lois speechless and taken aback by his accusation.

Both Lois and Clark didn't say a word to one another for the rest of the evening. They were both lying on their beds, both wide awake, angry with one another. Lois worked on her piece about the mysterious white beam of light shooting up at the sky in the heart of Metropolis, stating it was a malfunctioned technological training exercise funded by Luthorcorp, and that no harm was done, making sure she covered up the League's tracks. After emailing her article to Perry, she slowly drifted into a deep sleep, while Clark was still awake, looking up at the ceiling, relishing in the darkness as he felt something he's never felt since Lex' death... regret. He thought back to the words he stabbed her with and was finally starting to regret what he had said to her, regret witnessing the hurt in her eyes that he had caused. Regret that he had made a judgement call when he had no right to. Who was he to call her a whore? Why did he even care what she did with her life? She was nothing to him. She didn't mean enough for him to get mad... or even care... right?

As those thoughts ran through his mind, he heard Chris wailing from his room. He sighed, as the cries got louder and didn't seem to stop. Lane didn't seem to hear him. Taking a deep breath, Clark continued to lay in bed as Chris continued to cry. Not being able to take it any longer, Clark got up and headed towards Chris' room. Slowly opening the door, Clark saw Chris sitting up, with tears running down his face, looking flushed. Clark felt a weird ache in his chest as he saw the little boy sob. Walking over to the crib, Clark lifted Chris in his arms and patted his back, rocking him back and forth as Chris laid his head in the crook of his neck. Whispering softly in Chris' ear, Clark continued to rock back and forth, "Shh it's okay little guy... I'm here. You're okay."

After a while, Chris had stopped crying and had the hiccups as he laid still in his arms, feeling certain warmth inside of him, Clark sniffed Chris' hair, kissing the top of his head, holding him until he fell asleep. Hearing muffling sounds coming from her son's room, Lois slowly got up out of bed, quietly walking into his room where the door was a crack open, and she could see Clark holding her son, rocking him back to sleep, and whispering something she couldn't make out. Her lips parted at the sight, watching him with her son, so gentle, so affectionate, so... fatherly. She swallowed back the sudden feeling in her heart that ached for Clark Kent, and all her anger towards Clark Luthor dissipated as she watched him gently lay her now sleeping son back in his crib, and he didn't move as he continued to look down at Chris. And just for that one moment... it felt like she had never lost her husband. That it was just another night he was taking care of their son. Just for a moment. The corner of her mouth curved up as Lois slowly backed away from the door and went back to bed, unseen and unheard.

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><p>The next morning, Lois came out of the shower, fully dressed for work. As she walked into the living room, she slowed her pace when she saw Chris sitting on Clark's lap, while they were watching his favorite cartoon together. Hesitating for a moment, she decided to be the first to cut the tension, with a sigh, she said in a stern tone, "I'm going to work now... I have to take Chris to daycare..."<p>

Without looking at her, the smile on Clark's face faded when he heard her voice, as he replied in an equally stern tone, "Fine."

Lois sighed; of course he was going to be stubborn and not swallow his pride and apologize. Putting her hands on her hips, Lois was about to let him have it when her phone rang. Huffing, she went to answer it, "Hey Jimmy what's up?" She was listening to what Jimmy was saying as she was watching Clark on the couch from behind. When she hung up, she walked back to him, "I'll be back later." She said in a dull tone as she grabbed her bag and went to pick up Chris, "Come on buddy, time to go."

Chris squirmed and pulled on Clark's shirt as Lois extended her arms, "No!" He exclaimed which made both Lois and Clark freeze in place as they stared down at him. Lois looked back up at Clark, who looked really uncomfortable with her so close to him.

Clark cleared his throat and gently unlatched Chris' small hands off his shirt, handing Lois her son in silence to which Chris protested some more as he wailed, "Come on buddy you love day care you'll be home soon enough." Lois pleaded with him to stop crying as she bounced him in her arms, without another glance at Clark, she left.

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><p><em>The Daily Planet<em>

"What do you got for me Olsen?" Lois said as she approached him.

Jimmy grinned triumphantly, "You're going to be proud of me Ms. Lane. I found out Andy's lead on the investigation and she's on the same trail as us, turns out she persuaded Mr. Sanders' parole officer to tell her where he resided now.

Lois' eyes widened, "Where is he?!"

His smiled faded into disappointment, "That I haven't found out yet, but she was also at his childhood home, trying to talk to his family, who didn't want to talk to the press about him at all. Word is they probably gave Michael a heads up that a certain reporter was being nosy and they disappeared."

Raising her brow at him, Lois replied, "That's a little suspicious..."

Jimmy nodded, "That's all I got about Andy..."

Lois nodded, "That's good enough, I went to the Kansas State Penitentiary today to go see my source..." She grumbled as she dropped her bag on her desk, "Looks like Morgan Edge doesn't want any more visitations from reporters. I'm banned from seeing him." She huffed, "But I didn't come up empty handed. I broke into the Precinct here in the city and pulled out Michael Sander's police records." She handed Jimmy a rather large folder, "All of Michael's history with Intergang used to put him behind bars and enough to take away his badge. Turns out this everything that Louise Travis had found out about him when she was undercover as his girlfriend and used this evidence to turn him in and write her expose on proof that Metropolis' police jurisdiction lied in the back pocket of Intergang... that's bound to raise some questions."

Jimmy nodded, "So there's a lot of motive for her to be killed but Lois... it doesn't make any sense with the other girls, none of them have any relation with Intergang or Michael Sanders..."

Sighing Lois nodded, "You're right, I need to focus on the other victims too..."

He added, "But Michael's definitely a potential suspect. I got a hold of Louise's phone records and it turns out that she was contacted by an unknown number a week after Michael had been released from prison 6 months ago... around the time when she quit the Daily Planet. There was another call she got from an unknown number a week before she was murdered."

Lois raised her brows, "There's no way to trace the calls?"

He shook his head, "It was from a prepaid phone. And it seems like an awful coincidence that Louise got a mysterious phone call a week after Michael was released and another week before her death. Michael could be the one who called her we just need to figure out where he lives now."

She smiled back at him, "Andy may use her persuasion tactics to seduce the parole officer, but I'm going to use _my_ special skills."

Jimmy rolled his eyes at her, "You're going to break into his office aren't you? Lois wasn't the police station enough breaking and entering for one day?"

Lois smirked, "Not me, _we_. You're going to have to create a diversion while I'm in his office and make sure I don't get caught."

Jimmy's breath caught in his throat, "Lois!" He hissed, "I'm not good with this sneaking around stuff! You're the mastermind behind that!"

"There's only one rule Jimmy, don't get caught. There's a first time for everything." She winked at him, "Come on, we're going right now."

Jimmy nervously ran his fingers through his hair, "I hate you!"

Lois smirked at him, "Keep telling yourself that." She said as he followed her outside.

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><p>After leaving the parole officer's building, Lois and Jimmy sat in her car, as she drove, "Okay so this is Michael's address now... we have to go there."<p>

Jimmy jerked his head back, "What?! Now?! Lois we should be cautious about this for all we know you could be setting up an interview with a serial killer."

"I wasn't exactly planning on having coffee with him Jimmy..."

Jimmy's jaw dropped, "No! Nu-uh! You are not going to sneak around a potential serial killers house!"

Lois huffed, "It's not sneaking around it's... just being curious Jimmy!"

"Yeah that's what they say in all psychological thriller movies! Just being curious, sneak around and before you know it, the potential killer is driving up to his house and we're trying to figure a way to climb out the window without getting ourselves killed!"

She continued to drive for about an hour while she and Jimmy fought back and forth the entire ride. She came to a stop in front of a small house up town, "This is it..."

Jimmy pulled at his collar as he was sweating, "Lois... please don't."

Rolling her eyes at him, Lois ignored him as she got out of her car and walked towards his door. Taking a deep breath, Lois raised her hand up to knock on his door while Jimmy stood behind her. After about 5 minutes they concluded no one was home, when Lois tried the knob, it turned out it was open. They both cautiously walked into an empty house. No furniture, no appliances, no signs that anyone lived here the place looked completely empty. Lois furrowed her brows, looking around, the place didn't look dusty... meaning Michael had to have just left. She huffed, disappointed at the dead end, the only lead she had to a suspect, Lois and Jimmy went back to Metropolis.

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><p>When Lois returned home, she was really tired, putting Chris down as she fed him, all the while Clark was reading the paper. She sighed as he didn't say a word to her when she got home. When she put Chris down for his nap, she came back into the living room and held out something in front of him. Clark looked up from his paper and saw that she was holding a book, and not just any book. He looked up at her, speechless as she gave a weak smile, "Thought you might want to do some light reading. I know this is your favorite." Looking back down at the book, Clark took it from her hand and looked down at the cover, realizing this was the early edition of John Steinbeck's 'A Winter's Discontent'. Without another word, Lois headed to the kitchen to pour herself some coffee.<p>

Clark continued to look down at the object in his hand, completely taken aback that she remembered his favorite book, something he only mentioned once. Slowly getting up, Clark walked to the kitchen where she was, with her back turned towards him while she kept herself busy. Clearing his throat, Clark finally spoke up, "Thanks... for this." Lois turned around and nodded at him. They stood in an uncomfortable silence. Clark shifted his weight from one leg to another when he broke the silence, "Look... I know I'm being an ass, and I said some things to you... but there's nobody else to be pissed at except you okay. There's no one but you." He said as he didn't make eye contact with her.

After a moment of silence, Lois parted her lips, "Is... that your way of an apology?"

Clark smirked, "I guess so."

They stood staring back at each other when Lois pursed her lips, "You wanna play some poker?" He looked up at her, confused as she continued, "I get this is kind of getting awkward... so let's just forget it ever happened. You know how to play poker?"

Clark chuckled, "Yeah... I'm pretty good at it."

The corner of her mouth twitched, "Then you haven't played against me." She said as she brushed past him to get a deck of cards. As they were playing, Lois and Clark continued to make some small talk as she filled him in on her investigation, and Clark actually felt bad that she came to a dead end. "I don't know what to do anymore... I don't know where to go with my investigation. Without Michael Sanders, I have no leads..." She said as she was dealing the cards.

Clark watched her carefully, "Never thought you'd be a quitter Lane."

"I'm not a quitter" She said abruptly.

He tilted his head to the side, "You sound like one."

Her brows furrowed at him, "I'm not quitting" She said as she raised her voice, which amused Clark, "I'm just... I'm at a rough patch."

He shrugged, "So investigate the other victims, why are you just sticking to Louise?"

Lois sighed, "I thought her connection with Michael was my chance at solving this case."

"Maybe Michael fled cause he found out you were investigating him... and didn't want you snooping too far into his past. Maybe he was scared you'd find something on him."

Lois smirked, "He wouldn't know about my investigation, he was living in an isolated area... far from Metropolis." Then a thought came to her, "But this reporter who's working on the same story contacted his family and they didn't take that lightly... maybe they contacted Michael to leave town." Her eyes lit up as she formed her hunch.

Clark nodded, "Sounds realistic." She smiled back at him as he dealt his chips, "I see your 20, raise you 50."

She raised her brows at him, "You seem pretty confident to take a big leap like that."

Clark shrugged, "I'm just that good. And I've dealt with higher prices Lane." She chuckled at him as they continued to play.

"So who taught you how to play?"

"Lionel of course, taught me how to keep poker face and always keep my opponents on the edge... best way to manipulate people in the business industry."

She leaned forward as she asked, "Why did you decide to follow in his footsteps and take over the family business?" He looked up at her, "I mean the last time I saw you here you wanted to get as far away from Lionel as possible, you even wanted to kill him... so when did that change in the past 7 years?"

Clark blinked, "I don't even know how to answer that..." Lois waited as he stared down at his card, "When I got sucked back into my world... well Lionel's world... he made sure I knew it was his world where he controlled everything and everyone... especially me. So when he found out about my plans to use the mirror box to get away from him he also realized I wanted to kill him. And he tried to kill me before I got a chance, but I reminded him exactly why he needed me. I held something over his head and he knew he couldn't kill me."

Lois raised her brow with interest, "What did you have against him?"

The corner of his mouth curved up as he ignored her question, "So Lionel and I came to an agreement and I was his most valuable asset to the Luthor Empire. So instead of killing each other, he showed me the real ropes of the business... not that he had a choice. So Luthorcorp was mine for the taking once the old man died."

Her lips parted, "You're being incredibly vague but that's fair... but you still didn't answer my question... you could've found plenty of ways to get out of his grasp... why did you choose to stay and take over his business for him?"

Clark didn't meet her eyes, after a long moment of silence, he answered her, "Maybe I wanted him to love me... hear someone tell me my father would be proud of me... I may hate him for the most part, but he still raised me and... He's the only father figure I had. As twisted as it seems there was no one else I could trust, he knew everything about me."

Lois blinked, "So... despite everything he did to you... you still loved him as a father?" He smirked at her, shaking his head to himself, "I'm not judging or anything, I'm just trying to understand."

Clark shrugged, "Truth is I don't even understand it. I don't give a shit about him, I don't love him... I don't love anyone, but... at the same time... I have no one else in my life like that. I didn't have a mother, just Lionel... that's bound to leave a mark." Lois nodded, while Clark's eyes were glued to his cards, "But it didn't bother me when he died. That can't be healthy right? To feel nothing when your father dies, to not miss him, that I might be better for it... guess it fits considering I'm not human anyways." He shrugged.

Lois' lips parted as she replied in a soft tone, "Lionel created a lot of pain in your life Clark. He abused you, deep down you knew he didn't look at you as a son, he saw you as an opportunity... as an asset that he can use to his advantage. You're as human as anybody else, to feel at least a pang of compassion for him, to be bothered by the fact that you don't feel anything for him makes you just as human as the rest of us. If you didn't feel that way... if you didn't feel some kind of remorse to not feel any emotions towards him doesn't make you a bad person... it just makes sense considering what he put you through."

Clark stared back into her hazel eyes for a long moment, "Guess I wouldn't be this kind of person if I was raised as a Kent... I'd be a little less alien and a little more human." Lois stayed silent at that, "I just don't know how it got to this... with him... with Lex."

Lois titled her head, as her eyes softened, "What about Lex... what happened with that?"

Clark's eyes snapped, and she could see his expression change to cold and distant, "Let's get one thing straight Lane. Lex Luthor is off limits to our conversations. Don't ever ask me about him again." He said in an icy tone.

Lois sighed and nodded, disappointed that he went back to hiding behind his mask, "So what about me?" He raised his brow at her as she smiled at him, "What's Earth-2 Lois Lane like?" She kinked her brow at him.

He chuckled under his breath, "Well... I think it's safe to say that your personalities are pretty much spot on." She grinned back at him with pride, "But I didn't really know her that well... she was mostly known for her nosy reporter skills." He smirked, "She always found a way to piss of the Luthors since she made it her mission to take us down... mostly Lionel... and I'm her next target."

She furrowed her brows, "Well Lionel and Lex I can believe but..." She leaned back on her chair, intrigued, "Why you?"

He shrugged, "She's making it her mission to take down Ultraman... and I had a feeling she knew it was me..." The corners of his lips twitched, "So I fired her." His eyes met hers to see her reaction.

Lois' brows shot up and her eyes widened, "You fired me?! You can't do that!"

"I didn't fire you. I fired her."

She rolled her eyes at him, "Same thing!" She sighed, "You're a real ass."

He shrugged to himself, finding himself grinning at her angry face, it made her look cute, "I've been trying to tell you that."

Huffing, Lois continued, "So what else did you do to my counterpart? Poor thing she's probably freaking out cause she lost her only dream job. I know she's not going down without a fight so you better be prepared for the wrath of Lois Lane." She challenged him.

He couldn't help but stare back at her for a long moment, seeing her frustration, how beautiful it made her look, "I'll look forward to it, not like I haven't seen it before."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Trust me, you haven't." She flipped her hair back, "So how did I figure out you were Ultraman?"

Clark scoffed to himself, "I'm pretty sure her husband helped her figure that out... ex-husband to be exact."

She raised her brow, "I was married?" He nodded, "To who? Why didn't it work out?"

Clark's jaw clenched as he thought about Lois ever being married to Queen. It never bothered him before. He never thought once about it, but now... he couldn't understand this feeling at the pit of his stomach that made it him sick at the thought of Lois Lane-_Queen_. "Oliver Queen." He mumbled with no enthusiasm.

Lois' lips parted, "Clark Kent told me I was engaged to him when he was in Earth-2... I'm not surprised, Ollie's a great guy."

He narrowed his eyes at her as his grip on his cards tightened, "Sure if you call a cheating scum a great guy."

Lois leaned forward in shock, her jaw dropped, "HE CHEATED ON HER?!" Clark simply stared back at her, "Holy crap! With who?!"

"Dinah Lance." He said with a smirk.

Lois raised her brow at him, "Dinah Lance? Oliver cheated on me with Dinah Lance?! "

He rolled his eyes at her, "Again not YOU. Earth-2 Lane."

Lois scoffed, "Still... who does he think he is cheating on Lois Lane what an idiot! I hope I made him pay!"

Clark tilted his head at her, amused at her outburst, "Well you kind of did." He had her full attention by then, "You had half his shares of Queen Industries, and Oliver's half was on the verge of bankruptcy and as soon as the divorce was final you sold all his shares to me and I took over Queen Industries, and kicked Queen and his green leather off to the curb. Now he's broke and divorced. Barely a dollar under his name and all he has left of his peanut sized dignity is Green Arrow, which I can easily take down now." He said with a sinister grin.

Lois sat still for a moment before she found her voice, "I-I did that? I sold his company to his enemy? To you... out of spite." Her eyes fluttered as she was in disbelief with herself. How could Earth-2 Lois Lane do that to Oliver? No matter how much he hurt her she couldn't imagine stooping down to that level to hurt him and leave him with nothing.

Clark shrugged, "If it helps you weren't too proud of yourself after it was over. I managed to manipulate Lane into thinking this was her only option. Worked out for me." They stared back at each other for a long time, while Lois struggled to find her voice, with the knowledge that her counterpart destroyed Oliver Queen's life. She watched him as this was a side of Clark she didn't realize was there... his Luthor side, seeking revenge on his enemies, manipulating anyone to get him what he wanted. It almost reminded her of Lex, and how he used everyone to get what he wanted. That look in his eyes was the same ones reflected off of Lex Luthor... and Lionel. Clark stared back at her eyes and saw disappointment in them. Disappointment in herself, in him, unable to withstand it any longer he broke eye contact, "I got a flush." He dropped the cards in front of her.

Lois blinked, composing herself as she puts her cards down, clearing her throat, "Full house."

Clark smiled down at her cards, "I never lost a game of poker before..." He pursed his lips, "Mostly cause I usually use my powers to cheat, guess you got the upper hand on that. That's why Lionel taught me how to play... to use my powers to my advantage... and his" He said as he got up, taking a deep breath, still recovering from her penetrating gaze, "Let's call it a night." He turned to leave.

Her eyes fluttered as she watched him about to leave, "Clark." Her voice stopped him as he turned to face her, "I know you're... I know you're scared you're going to become Lionel. But it doesn't have to be that way. You don't need to feel obligated or forced to follow in his footsteps anymore just cause he was the man who raised you he didn't treat you right. A real father wouldn't strap kryptonite on your wrist periodically in your life. Now that he's gone you're finally free to do whatever you want. When you go back to your world, you don't have to make decisions with Lionel in mind anymore. He's out of the picture; he doesn't hold a candle to you. You don't have to become like him, with the business, and seeking away to get revenge on your enemies, or manipulating people to cheat your way to get what you want. Just... don't be like him Clark. You're free Clark. What are you going to do with that now? You build your own path and there's nothing holding you back..."

Parting his lips, Clark shook his head at her, and simply said, "There's still demons from my past that are holding me back Lane... I have to face those before I can do what I want. I'm not free yet." He turned away to leave when he felt her hand on his shoulder as he turned to face her.

Hesitating for a moment, looking into his blue eyes gave her a sense of comfort, "One more thing..." taking a deep breath, she spoke, "Nothing's going on with me and Bruce... not that I need to explain myself but I want to. He wanted to talk to me, to tell me that he had feelings for me..." Clark blinked once at her, staying silent, "I told him how I loved him as a friend, and how important he was to me... and that we couldn't be more than that cause I don't feel the same way. And that kiss you saw... it just happened, but we both knew it didn't mean anything, it was more like closure for him, and to let me know I didn't lose him."

Clark looked down at her for a long time, the corner of his mouth curved up as he nodded at her, bringing his hand up to brush a strand of hair out of her face as he pushed it behind her ear, while Lois froze in place, holding her breath as she felt his touch, his fingers brushing against her cheek. She bored her eyes into his as they stared at each other for a long moment, before Clark was the first to break it, as he walked away without a word.

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><p><strong>End of chapter:)!<strong>

**I got to say i'm a little nervous about your reactions to this chapter i don't even know why lol but just be honest with me and I'll definately take your comments into considerationn:) Thanks for reading more to come!**


	27. Stranger

THANKK YOU ALL for your awesomee reviews once againnn they all made me smileeee i love you guyss it makes me soo happy you're enjoying the story and the character development and the CL/LL relationshipp:)!

I can't exactly answer all your questionss about CK butt all i can say is that you must read to find outt LOL:P

Anywayss this is kind of a short chapter but the update for the next one will come fasterr the plots starting to get thicker from this point on;)!

Enjoy !

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><p><strong>Chapter 27: Stranger- Katie Costello<strong>

_**Stranger I've known you for so long. I found you lost with a compass in the fog. Stranger you know me too much. Illusionary-self had not been touched, until you. Stranger you followed me so far, until the roads converged, as did the stars. Stranger the moon looks blue tonight. Your photo framed, raw within my mind. But not tonight.**_

_The Daily Planet_

Andy sat at her computer typing up the outline of her article late afternoon, with a faint smile on her face; she had finally cracked the case. She finally found out the connection to each of the victims... risky move but she had done it, something Lois Lane couldn't even do. Smirking to herself, she typed up the last bit of her outline as she clipped all her files and the evidence together; ready to hand it over to the police tomorrow when her article would be published. Locking it up securely in her bottom drawer, she walked out of the bullpen with a grin on her face, proud that she had finally gotten her breakthrough as an investigative reporter... Perry White would give her a promotion for sure! The identity of the Metropolis Suffocator would be her secret until her article was published to the front page tomorrow, and she would soon see that Pulitzer with her name on it.

Lois and Jimmy came back from lunch as they passed by Andy leaving and Lois eyed her suspiciously, noticing the smile on her face, "She looks offly chipper."

Jimmy shrugged as they continued walking through the Planet, "She's probably found something on the case."

Scoffing, Lois sat at her desk, "What has she found that we haven't? I mean we've interviewed Christina McWaters' roommate and her modelling agency and there've been no psycho ex-boyfriends after her... I looked through Quinn Weitzman's emails on suspicious messages or threats, and she's clean and Vanessa Jensen, as far as I know has got nothing either; her classmates said she's not even the party girl type, she keeps to herself and the one time she goes out... she catches the attention of a serial killer." Lois said sadly, wiping her face with her hand out of frustration, "What else have we got Jimmy?"

Jimmy furrowed his brows, "I'm sorry Ms. Lane, I have no idea." Sighing to himself.

Huffing, Lois looked through the pictures of Christina McWaters' purse contents that Jimmy took which was scattered down the street at the crime scene. Lois furrowed her brows when her eye caught something. Turning to Jimmy she asked, "Do you still have this on your computer?" Jimmy nodded as he opened up the file, "Zoom into the picture, right there." She pointed at a particular area where there was a business card. As Jimmy cleared up the picture a smile crept up on Lois' face, "Jackpot."

Jimmy looked at her confused, "What are you talking about?"

Lois stood up straight, "That's the logo for the Sunrise Gentlemen Lounge."

"The strip club?" Jimmy asked with a raised brow, tilting his head while viewing the image.

Lois nodded, "Formerly owned by Morgan Edge."

Jimmy's jaw dropped, "So Christina McWaters was a stripper?"

"Why else would she have that business card? My guess is that she was a part time stripper to pay the bills in this big time city until she got her contract to be a model."

"So you think this connects to Louise and her article about Michael... being involved with Intergang."

Lois nodded, "We have to get into that club Jimmy. I'm going to ask the girls if they knew something about Michael Sanders." She picked up her purse as she was about to leave.

Jimmy got up to stop her as he held his hands up, "Whoa there Dita Von Teese you've done enough undercover stripping expeditions for one lifetime okay Lois you're a mother now please have some boundaries."

Rolling her eyes, Lois sighed, "What do you suggest we do then? Jimmy this is our only lead. Michael is missing, and we need to find out if he has a connection with Christina too. We need to get into that club!"

Jimmy looked up at the ceiling and huffed, "Okay look, I'll go into the club and snoop around."

Lois tilted her head at him, "As much as I admire your work Olsen, I don't think going undercover is your expertise."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I managed to sneak a peek at Andy's work for you didn't I?" Lois pursed her lips at him, still unsure, "Look this club's pretty elite so I'll just tell them I'm meeting with someone rich..." He thought for a moment and snapped his fingers, "What about Bruce Wayne? I can give them my credentials since you're his best friend."

Lois seemed to look uncomfortable using Bruce's name like that for a strip club, then again, he did say he'll help her in any way he can on this article. With a sigh she replied, "I'll talk to him for you." Jimmy nodded back at her. With that, she headed to his penthouse.

* * *

><p><em>Wayne Penthouse<em>

Bruce opened the door, looking happy to see her, "I didn't think I'd see you for a while. I figured you'd try and avoid me for as long as possible." He said while she walked into his penthouse.

Lois spun around to face him with her arms crossed, shaking her head, "Why does everyone assume I do that?!"

Bruce chuckled with a raised brow as he walked towards her, "Cause you do."

"I don't bolt and run away at the first sign of affection and I don't avoid my problems for as long as possible just cause it's uncomf- okay yea that sounds like me." Lois pouted in defeat as Bruce laughed, "Still... I've grown Wayne. I face my problems head on now." She smirked proudly.

Bruce smirked, "Sure... that or you came here cause you need something." Lois worried her lip, "It's okay Lois." His voice softened.

Lois sighed, "I'm really sorry Bruce. I didn't want to have to ask, but Jimmy won't let me have it any other way." She explained the whole situation on her lead on one of the victims and the Sunrise Gentlemen's club.

Bruce poured himself a glass of scotch as he listened, "Well I have to agree with Olsen, there' no way you're going undercover as a stripper, you've done that enough and every time you do you end up being unconscious and Clark's always had to come save you."

Lois rolled her eyes at him, "Fine! But I can take care of myself, those were just minor technicalities." She grinned at him, "Lucky I have my very own League of guardian angels." Bruce smiled back at her, "So what do you say? Can you help get Jimmy in that club?"

Bruce thought for a moment and nodded, "If it gets you any closer to catching this serial killer then hell yes."

Lois smiled back at him, and reached out to squeeze his arm, "Thank you Bruce."

Bruce nodded as he turned to his computer, "You said they have membership cards?"

"Morgan Edge was real careful with his underground businesses, he was adamant about staying off the grid when making money."

"If Edge is behind bars now then why hasn't this club closed down? It was part of Intergang's cover right?"

Lois sighed, "Someone bought off the club and kept it going... But he kept most of the employees since they had nowhere else to go. I wanted Jimmy to go and sneak into the dressing room and ask anyone about Christina and any connection she has with Louise Travis or Michael Sanders himself."

He nodded, "You have the picture of the card?" Lois brought out the picture of Christina's membership card that was in her purse the night her body was found and handed it to Bruce, "I'll see what I can do with this and hopefully make a double with my name on it."

Lois nodded, "Thank you. I would use Jimmy's name but they'll recognize the name from anywhere... as Lois Lane's sidekick." She rolled her eyes to herself while Bruce laughed as they worked on the card.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile<em>

Clark had spent the day watching the rest of the Die Hard flicks, and he had to admit, they were pretty damn good. Once he finished the movies, he walked over to the dining table, picking up the book Lois had gotten him and looked down at the cover. He still couldn't believe that she remembered his favorite book and actually got it for him even after he basically called her a whore. Clark winced at that thought, still regretting what he had said to her. Lately he had spent a lot of time finding himself thinking about Lane... just thinking about their conversations together. A smile formed on his lips, something that started to occur more often, a genuine smile as he stroked the spine of the book. He put it down on the dining table, running his hands through his hair, he went into the den to explore some more. There was a shelf full of photo albums, Clark sighed, not wanting to see pictures of their lives together... pictures of Kent's life with her. Looking up at the books, his eye caught a large red shoe box at the top shelf. Curiosity got the best of him as he reached up to grab the box. Carrying it to the dining table, Clark found himself simply staring at the box. He wondered why Lane would put a shoe box in the middle of her book shelf. Without thinking twice, Clark opened the shoe box to find it filled to the top with newspaper clippings. Clippings published by Lane and some from reporters at the Inquisitor... about a man they called 'Superman'.

Titling his head to the side, Clark grabbed a bunch of papers in his hand and read each of the headlines, "Superman?" He said under his breath. He saw a picture of Superman shaking hands with the President of the United States... and he looked exactly like him, in a deep blue skin tight suit, red cape hanging down his back, bright red boots, with an 'S' shaped symbol on his chest. Clark jerked his head back when he realized this was Clark Kent... Superman. Clark drew his brows together as he read Lane's article, a particular one that caught his eye, '_I Spent the Night with Superman'_. He read each word of her article carefully, basically reading everything about his origins in fine print... Did Kent know she wrote about him for the world to see? They were married, and worked together, of course he knew. How could he be so naive?! Why would he let her tell the world all about his secrets and walk around expecting no one to threaten his life! No wonder he got himself killed, the moron couldn't keep his secret to himself! He read all the other articles Lane wrote, and he could see the passion in her words, what they really held. Something inside Clark stirred as he read her words, read her expectations. He read what she said about Superman's gentle grace, how he was easy to talk to, all about his powers, and Krypton. Then something struck inside of Clark Luthor as he held the infinite amount of newspaper clippings in his hands. His realization of what Lane was doing to him. Her ability to make him... and Kent... open up and spill all their secrets to her... and use them to her advantage to write her articles. Articles that made her well known. Articles that got her a Pulitzer, something that he knew the Lois Lane from Earth-2 wanted more than anything. She'd do anything to get that award... anything. Clark didn't realize he was gripping the papers so hard that they were all crumpled up. Lane was pretty much using his hidden background, his hidden emotions to her advantage. She knew exactly what she was doing, she wanted to crack him like and egg... turn him into someone else... turn him into Kent. Gentle grace, that pure heart of his. Someone the world worshipped like a god. He was no god. He was no Superman. Why did he so badly wish he was? No. He can't be this man for her. He can't be Superman. He wasn't going to let her do this to him. Clark clenched his jaw and saw something at the bottom of the shoe box. An article with a picture of Superman as a golden statue in front a mausoleum... surrounded by millions of people. Clark's eyes widened as he read Superman's obituary:

_Though we gather here today, bowing together in sorrow and loss, we share a precious gift. We are all of us privileged to live a life that has been touched by Superman. The Man of Steel possessed many extraordinary gifts and he shared them with us freely. None of these gifts were more remarkable, than his ability to discern what needed to be done, and his unveiling courage in doing it, whatever the personal cost. Let us all strive to accept his gift and pass it along as an ongoing tribute to Kal-El of Krypton, the immigrant from the stars, who taught us all how to be heroes.- Martian Manhunter._

Clark realized he was shaking, this wasn't him. A Man of Steel, yes. But he was no Superman... not even close. No one bows down to him like this. Clark Luthor was not courageous, Clark Luthor didn't touch anyone's life. Clark Luthor never put anyone before him, never thought once to be selfless for the sake of others. Clark Luthor was a named feared by all. He was a cold hearted snake with no regards for anyone. This wasn't him. What's happening to him? He felt anger rise up as well as... betrayal? He felt betrayed somehow. Why did he feel this betrayal towards Lane, why does he feel ANYTHING for her?! These articles... they're wishful thinking of what he could've been. They weren't of him. Lane... she tried, she tried to get him to become this... she wanted to change him. And to his discern it was working. Clark shook his head to himself, ready to snap. His eyes went to 'A Winter's Discontent' lying on the table, and all he could see was nothing more than an object used to manipulate him, an object of betrayal. Betrayal. Something he's never felt before and he hated it. There was something else behind that feeling of betrayal within Clark Luthor. Something he didn't realize that was truly overtaking him. A fitted rage mixed with a feeling he was willing to deny until the day he died. No. He was not jealous of Superman. Reading Lane's words worshipping her hero did NOT make him jealous. It did NOT make him angry that she'd rather see him as a different person. Enraged, he took the book he threw it against the wall with a growl, huffing hard as rage took over.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC SOON:)!<strong>


	28. Pitterpat

**Chapter 28: Pitterpat- Erin McCarley**

_**Pain takes my heart's place. The love we made, we can't erase it, don't wanna face it. Pitterpat the angel on my shoulder is haunting me tonight. Tick tock, the clock is getting louder waiting for me to decide.**_

_Queen/ Sullivan Loft_

Everyone sat around the living room, watching Kara as she read through Lionel's journals. They had gone through three so far and with Kara's speed reading thankfully it didn't take long to go through, but she had slowed down at the third book. Chloe sat forward with her elbows resting on her knees as she watched Kara carefully as her brows drew together while reading a page. Oliver was sitting on the arm rest beside her watching Kara, anticipating some good news. Kara finally blinked for the first time since she started reading.

Oliver's brows shot up, "You blinked! You definitely found something .Spill Kara"

Kara continued to read without another word as she had a confused look on her face. Her eyes fluttered as she took in a deep breath and stood up, "I found a page with a drawing of the mirror box, and it says that all the knowledge possessed in it belongs within the Crystal of Knowledge."

Tess furrowed her brows, "And?"

Shaking her head, Kara closed the book, "That's it. It goes on about transportation into the parallel universes but nothing more."

Tess sighed, "That doesn't tell us anything... does it?" She asked Kara, noticing the thoughtful look on her face.

Kara slowly paced around the room, mumbling to herself, "Fortress... the crystal... I think I need to speak to Jor-El again, he might not be telling me everything about the mirror box..."

Oliver stood up and walked towards her, "What can Jor-El tell us now that he hasn't already?"

"I don't know, but maybe this page of the journal can help him help us figure it out... I don't know I feel like we've got something."

Sighing Oliver nodded as he stood up, "Do what you need to do, come back soon."

Nodding Kara replied, "I'll find out what I can" Her eyes met Chloe's as she gave her a stern look to which Chloe sighed at, nodding at her before Kara sped off.

Emil stood up, taking off his glasses, "What are we going to do if this is another dead end Oliver?"

Oliver wiped his face, "Well then Clark Luthor's just going to have to get real comfortable for a very long time." Chloe wrapped her arms around herself, feeling anxious while the others talked about their situation, unaware she was in a stump herself. If they couldn't find a way to take Clark Luthor back... she'll never find Clark Kent.

_Fortress of Solitude_

"Jor-El!" Kara called out as soon as she got entered the Fortress, "I need to speak with you."

She waited until the Fortress suddenly started to glow and Jor-El's voice boomed through the crystal walls, _"What is it Kara Zor-El?"_

"We might have something that can help us get the mirror box back..." She takes out Lionel's journals and flips through the pages, "There's an entry from Lionel Luthor's journals from when his mind was used as a vessel to posses all of Krypton's knowledge. Well, all of your knowledge. There's a page about the mirror box saying that all of its power is possessed within the Crystal of Knowledge..." Kara looked down at the page and back up, "It also says the Crystal possesses the power it needs to restore the balance." Kara swallowed hard before looking up, speaking in a strained voice, "I have no idea what this means Jor-El..."

There was a long silence before Jor-El spoke up again, "_It means the Fortress is the key Kara._"

Kara drew her brows together, "You told me there was nothing in your power that you can do to retrieve the box."

"_I did... but the Crystal has the power to._"

Shaking her head, she replied, "I don't understand."

_"The Crystal of Knowledge will be able to tap into the mirror box as it locates its current position within the walls of the parallel worlds and take control of it, bringing it to its rightful universe."_

Kara's lips parted, "So what are you saying exactly... a-are you saying we need to form the Fortress back into a crystal?" she asked in a shaky tone.

"_Precisely Kara. You must deactivate the Fortress and turn it back into the crystal of knowledge._"

Her eyes widened at the sound of this, shaking her head, she slowly walks backwards, "No... No I won't destroy the Fortress! This is a part of my home Jor-El, it's all that's left of Krypton! I can't do this..." She whispered.

"_You must Kara. You must do it for the sake of saving the balance of the parallel worlds. These two worlds were never meant to collide and with Kal-El's counterpart staying here disturbs the Grand Design of the universe. Clark Luthor is not meant to be in this world, he has his own destiny that is yet to be fulfilled._"

She huffed, "All this time you've kept this to yourself? Isn't there ANY other way?!"

"_The reason I didn't tell you was because I was hoping you and Kal-El's allies would be able to find another way. But seeing as how much time has passed I cannot let this go any further. The mirror box must be retrieved and this is the only way to restore the balance of the Earths. Kara you must not be selfish. You must accept that Krypton is gone, you cannot hold onto the past. This must be done for the sake of protecting Earth's future. I need not remind you of the sacrifices needed to be made._"

Kara shook her head to herself, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath she opened them, holding her head up high, "Alright. I'll do it."

"_Thank you Kara Zor- El_."

Then a thought came to Kara, "Will the crystal help me find our Kal-El? His body disappeared when it was deactivated no one knows where he is."

"_That is something beyond my knowledge, for I do not know the whereabouts of my son... but I expect he be found._"

She nodded, "I'll do my best Jor-El... how do I use the crystal to find the mirror box."

"_Before you deactivate the Fortress, you must bring me a human vessel to store all my knowledge into, and that human vessel is the only way to activate the Crystal of Knowledge. You must find a human that is willing to become the vessel. That vessel needs to generate the crystal as I voyage through the parallel universes and locate the crystal._"

Kara hesitated, gripping the journal tightly in her hands, "Are there any dangers to the human?"

"_There's always a risk Kara, one must take that risk for the greater good._"

With astonishment, Kara replied, "I don't want to risk anyone's life Jor-El."

"_There is no other option Kara, this is the only way._"

Kara sighed, "I must speak to the League before we make any decisions. You know nothing good comes out of using a vessel to store Kryptonian knowledge... Brainiac was proof of that. And besides, there aren't any dangers to having Clark Luthor here. I won't pressure anyone, if this is too much of a risk, then that's a risk none of us are willing to take. I need to discuss this with them before anything."

"_Then go. But you must not waste any more time._"

With a sigh Kara nodded and sped out of the Fortress.

* * *

><p>Lois kissed Chris' cheek as he fell asleep in her arms while she carried him down the hall. Once she entered her home, she noticed Clark sitting on the dining table holding a stress ball, squeezing it rhythmically. She walked past him, putting Chris down in his room as she returned to stand in front of the table, watching him.<p>

Smiling back at him, she started, "Hey, sorry I got home late I was still investigating my story and Bruce was helping me out..." She walked towards the kitchen as she put away some plates in the dish washer, "Chris and I spent the rest of the day there and my partner Jimmy Olsen and I found a lead to a strip club where one of the victims had a connection to that's owned by Morgan Edge. I figured there was something there considering Louise busted Michael for being in Edge's back pocket so Jimmy and Bruce are gonna go to the Sunrise Gentlemen's Lounge together in a couple of days..." She returned to the dining table but noticed Clark hadn't listened to a word she had said. He continued to look forward, refusing to look up at her as he continued to squeeze the stress ball. Lois noticed the book she had gotten him on the floor, her brows drew together in confusion as she turned back to face him, "Is everything okay Clark?" There was a long silence, and Lois swallowed back the weird feeling at the pit of her stomach that something was very wrong as she looked back at him. He seemed so... angry, his jaw was clenched, his other hand was balled up in a fist and he refused to look at her. Something wasn't right. "Clark?" She asked in a louder tone, trying to get his attention.

A slight smirk came out of him as he continued to look forward, "You know... it's crazy how wrong you can be about a person... just crazy." He said in a low tone with a shake of his head.

Lois blinked, "What are you talking about?"

Clark shook his head, "Save your bullshit Lane... I can't take it anymore."

"Excuse me?" She said in a stunned tone, "Did I do something to you?"

Clark scoffed, "You know I was going along with my life just fine before you showed up... oh wait, before you sucked me in your world. And for a long time I didn't understand it... but now I do... now I do." He said each word slowly as he finally looked up at her, into her eyes and his mind went numb, the way she was looking at him... it was doing something to him, changing him... and he hated it. Rage took over, "You brought me here to replace your dead husband. And when you realized that I was nothing like him, you decided to use that to your advantage, to turn me into him for your benefit."

Lois drew her brows together as she rubbed her temples, looking back down at him she replied, "Okay, what are you talking about?"

Clark finally stood up and threw the stress ball across the room in rage, which made Lois jump back, "I'm talking about the way you've been manipulating me... this whole time I couldn't see it. Now it's pretty clear what you've been trying to do Lane!" He said as he came closer to her.

"And what exactly am I trying to do Clark? No really tell me cause I'd love to know what I did wrong this time!" She exclaimed, frustration taking over.

"You tried to wriggle your way into my business! Getting to know me? Getting me to open up about Lionel and my past and using that to manipulate my emotions! You're trying to turn me into him!"

Lois shook her head appalled, "You're not making any sense! How am I doing that?!"

Clark stuck a finger out at her, "YOU'VE MADE ME SOFT!" Lois was taken aback, "YOU MADE ME SOFT! You made me feel sorry for you! You made me feel something for your son! Using your own son to get to me! To change me into someone I'm not! I'm not this person I don't play with kids; I don't care about anyone but myself! I'm not supposed to FEEL anything! And you!" He stalked towards her, "You used my weaknesses to your advantage, you used my past to get through to me to try and turn me into someone who cares. I AM CLARK LUTHOR! I'm not that compassionate, selfless, f*cking saviour of yours!"

Lois shook her head at him, "I-I never manipulated you. I never forced you to talk about your past with me Clark! I never forced anything out of you. You decided to tell me about yourself, YOU decided to get close to my child I never forced ANY of this on you!" She said with her voice rising with each word.

Clark gave a humourless chuckle, "I'm sure you didn't. I'm sure you had nothing to do with how I'm feeling right now! In the time I've been living with you I haven't been the same person I've been for the past 30 years and it's f*cked up how I didn't notice it until NOW!" He huffed out, "I read your articles about him." Lois blinked, her lips parted in confusion as Clark Luthor continued, "Superman... You sit behind a desk telling the world his... MY secrets! You exposed him to the world! I bet you loved using him and his _compassion_ to your advantage. I can paint a picture of your love story right now, he fell in love with you, you find out that he's a super powered alien, tell him to put on a red cape and go play a martyr and in the end it's you who gets all the glory writing about him!" Tears pooled into her eyes as he spoke in a low tone, "Clark Kent wasn't a husband to you Lane... he was a hobby."

Lois' eyes widened as her tears stung, "THAT IS NOT TRUE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, echoing through the den. She breathed heavily at him, "I loved him! I never wrote anything he didn't want me to!"

Clark scoffed at her, "I've got the evidence right in front of me Lane. He was a hobby... and so am I. You miss having something to write about? You miss writing about Superman and getting showered with awards cause of him? What was the real plan? Turn me into someone who'd want to save people, get me to wear a red cape so you can write about the all mighty Superman's return from the dead?" He shook his head at her, looking at her with disgust, "Trust me if we were back in my world and someone told me about him I'd laugh right in their pathetic face." He ignored the feeling in his chest as he stared back into her eyes, seeing a broken soul, seeing her hurt expression. Good. He needed this. He was used to this. He was used to being hated. Lane was no different. It was better to get her to hate him than continue like he cared. He didn't care. He didn't care. He kept saying that to himself as he turned from her.

He brushed past her as she digested his words, completely confused at where this was coming from. She spun around to face him, "Wh-"

Unable to take it anymore, Clark turned and screamed, "I'M NOT SUPERMAN LANE! I'M ULTRAMAN DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND TURN ME INTO HIM!" He exclaimed in her face.

Lois turns and sees him walk towards the door and she huffs out in a strained voice, "You son of a bitch."

As Clark swings the door open he replies, "Go cry to somebody who cares." With that he slammed the door shut behind him and left. Leaving Lois speechless, she slowly lowered herself on the couch, feeling her heart ache, swallowing back a sob.

* * *

><p>For the first time ever, Clark Luthor finally walked down the streets of Metropolis of Earth-1. It was past midnight and he found himself in the middle of Centennial Park, he stood frozen in place as his eyes widened at the sight in front of him. The infamous gold statue of Superman... of himself. Clark stared up at it for the longest time, swallowing hard, "So... this is what I could've been." He said to himself, laughing, "When did the world get so screwed up... you had it all Kent. You had it all with her... and you just died... and she had to bring me to replace you. That's all I am... a replacement." He shook his head to himself. This was what it all came down to. Lane was using him to fill her husband's place.<p>

Clark stood before the mausoleum entrance, where his counterpart's body was resting. His corpse was being worshipped in a god like form. He balled his hands into fists as he trembled with rage. He couldn't be here anymore. As he left, Clark hailed a cab and got to the nearest bar. Once he was there, he simply ordered glasses of whiskey, his favorite drink. After three glasses, Clark ordered some more as he sat alone at the bar, looking straight ahead, when he saw a blonde sitting beside him from his peripheral vision.

She leaned in closer to him and spoke in a seductive tone, "You seeeem lie you need some compny..."

The corners of Clark's mouth curved up when he turned to face the particularly drunk blonde talking with a slur, "And what makes you think that?" He asked, leaning back on his seat.

The blonde shrugged, "Dunnoo... Hot guy... alone in a barrr... I put two and two together"

Clark nodded, "Or I'm just sitting here alone cause I know I'll attract some girl in need of a good night."

She chuckled at him, tilting her head, "Cocky much?"

He gave her his irresistible smile, "Very much." The blonde bit her bottom lip as she stared back at him, "So what are you doing here alone?"

Grinning, she replied, "I'mmmmm celebrating with my roommate! I finished solving a front page worthy story... and Lois Lane is gonna be the one mopping the floors!"

Clark furrowed his brows at that, so she knew Lane. Talk about small world. He didn't like the way she was talking about her for some reason, but put those thoughts behind. He shouldn't even care. Clark turned his seat forward, "Good for you..." He said in a dull tone, wanting to forget all about Lane. Looking straight ahead, he downed his drink, feeling the burning sensation as it flowed down his throat.

The blonde held out her hand, flipping her hair back, "I'mm Andy"

Clark shook his head with a smirk, and took her hand, "Cla-... Bill." He cleared his throat, "I'm Bill."

Andy giggled like a little girl as she leaned into him, exposing her cleavage which brushed against his arm, "Ssoo lemme ask you sumthin Bill... yerr place err mine." She winked at him, biting her lips and Clark smirked at her infatuation with him. He was amused at how little he had to try to get women. This was how his life always was. Why should that change now? Ignoring the sudden feeling he felt as he thought about those hazel eyes he had gotten so used to getting lost in, Clark stood up and led Andy out the door, letting her lead the way as they left the bar, unaware of the dark figure following from a distance.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't hate me lol I know it's getting intense from here and Clark Luthor is on the loose now:P There's lots more twists to come so please bear with me the next chapter might take a while to get posted I still need to put it through the editingnit picking process.**

**In the meantime please leave your commentss:)! i know most of you have a lot to say aboutt Andy, CL, and the mysterious dark figuree *wink!wink!*  
><strong>


	29. Heartbreak Warfare

Wait no longerr updates finally hereee;)

Thank you guys sooo much for your patiencee WOHOO this chapter finally made it out of the editorial phaseee YAAAA:D!

Alright I admit it it wasn't just the editing... i've just been SUPER lazy:P buttt the updates here so dont kill meee!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 29: Heartbreak Warfare- John Mayer<strong>

_**Drop his name, push it in and twist the knife again. Watch my face, as I pretend to feel no pain. Clouds of sulfur in the air, bombs are falling everywhere its heartbreak warfare. Once you want it to begin, no one ever really ever wins in heartbreak warfare. Disappointment has a name its heartbreak.**_

It was past 3AM while Lois sat in her living room couch, slowly bringing her hot cup of coffee to her lips. Sitting in utter silence, she stared at nothing in particular as she waited. She wasn't sure what she was waiting for... she just couldn't sleep. Simply sitting in solitude, relishing in the silence she had been so used to living in for nearly two years of her life. Alone. That feeling hadn't occurred in a while, not since he came into her life again. Clark Luthor. He made it all easier. The pain. The loneliness. It all went away when he was here. And now he left, leaving a hole in her chest, unable to describe her pain. Her loss. Why was it so easy to be consumed by loneliness? She didn't even know if she could survive another heartbreak, but here she was, sitting alone, unable to think clearly, not knowing whether he'd come back to her, whether he'd accept her flaws as easily as she'd accepted his. Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes, how did she become so weak? How could she just let it go like that? After everything he said to her, the way he stared at her with malice. How was it so easy for her to simply get lost in her way and overlook everything he'd done to her? She wanted to forget it all, as she closed her eyes, she thought of a better place, to the day she told her husband they were going to be parents, to the first sonogram where he held her while she cried at the first sight of their peanut sized son, to the days when he laid his head on her lap in the middle of the night when he talked to her belly, to their son about all their plans they had for Chris, all they wanted to share with him together... everything they couldn't do. After a while she heard the door open. Slowly opening her eyes, she took a deep breath and turned to see him, leaning against the door once it was closed, staring back at her wordlessly.

Once he saw her across the room, he had an unsettling feeling in his chest. Lois stared back at him for a long moment and he couldn't take it anymore as he clenched his jaw. Her eyes. _There's that look again. _Clark huffed as rage took over once again as he took a couple steps towards her while Lois remained seated, her eyes glued to his. He slowly shook his head at her as his stomach flipped while her hazel eyes pierced right through him, "You wanna know where I was tonight?" Lois didn't answer as she silently stared back at him, "I screwed a woman tonight... It's actually ironic, she knew you... and at one point she said I looked like him." Lois' brows drew together as her eyes widened and her lips parted as he continued, "Lucky she was drunk enough not to realize the truth." He smirked to himself, gesturing his hand towards her, "Guess you didn't know that girl had a real thing for your dead husband."

Lois clenched her jaw as she stood up and faced him, "So what? You just came back to tell me you f*cked someone tonight?"

Clark strode towards her, "No, I came back to tell you this is who I am Lane! I'm Clark Luthor, billionaire play boy who doesn't give a shit about anyone he hurts! And while I was with Andy the only thing I could think about was you!" It came out too fast for him to take back, his face tightened as he realized what he said, wishing he never came back. Lois blinked, as she took a step back, completely stunned at his revelation, processing the fact that he was with Andy tonight. Clark finally found the courage to let her have it all, let her know exactly what she's done to him. He spat through his teeth, "You managed to find your way into my head and stay there! The only reason you brought me back was to replace him! To replace Kent! Pretty low move on your part considering the fact that you think you have the power to just replace your dead husband with a clone! I'm NOTHING like him so stop looking at me! I can't... I can't breathe with you looking at me like that so just STOP!" He yelled in her face, which startled her as her grip slipped from her coffee mug, shattering on the floor between them. She looked up at Clark with wide, tear filled eyes as he continued, breathing heavily, "Stop looking at me like I'm the only person who exists... like I'm the only person that matters! You barely know me!" He suddenly let out a humourless chuckle, "I guess not anymore since you've managed to break my walls and figure out the obvious daddy issues, and make this feel like the Breakfast Club! You planted these feelings in my head! I actually FEEL something for you and it needs to stop. You need to stop driving me crazy, you need to stop making it impossible to want to be alone!" He began breathing heavily, turning away he wiped his mouth, then turned back to face her again, "After reading those articles about Superman everything was clear... you used me to fill whatever hole that was left in your heart when Kent or Superman or whatever the hell he calls himself died and I'm not going to be a part of it anymore Lane! Don't you dare stand there and act like you didn't compare me to him. Like you didn't compare me to the man that risks his life to save others, to the one who would never kill another human being. In case you haven't realized I'M A MURDERER LANE! I've killed people and you need to get that through your thick skull that I'm not that Super savior. I'm not your martyr that you enjoyed writing about all these years." He swallowed hard, "You should be disgusted with yourself. And don't you dare stand there and make yourself feel like you didn't do any of those things. Don't stand there like you've done nothing wrong! I-"

He didn't see it coming, it wasn't until he felt the intensity of her hand slamming against his cheek, making his head swing to the side did he realize what had happened. He went silent in a state of shock as he turned back to face her, noticing her palm was red, and he actually felt intense pain on his face. He had been slapped before, mostly by Tess, and usually he didn't even turn away so she'd be the one with a broken wrist in the end. This was the first time he felt the intensity of Lois' pain through that slap. He stared back at her as her hands were balled into fists, her entire body trembled as she bit her lip, refusing to cry as the tears pooled in her eyes, she took a shaky breath, whispering, "Do you think I want to look at you? Do you think I wouldn't rather be staring into my husband's eyes? To be able to talk to him, and look at him knowing that he would never judge me the way you are right now?" She said in a shaky tone, "How dare you. You come into my home, and tell me that I'm a bad person for doing this to you? That I did such a terrible thing by making you human..." She shook her head at him as the tears fell, "You may hate me right now Clark... but at the end of the day, you're going to go back to your world and pick up exactly where you left off exactly who you want to be. And me? I'll be left behind again, you'll leave ME so I'm sorry that I've screwed up your life by taking advantage of you staying here just to be around my husband's memory. I'm so sorry for TALKING to you, but you know what that's who I am, I talk to people, but I never force them to speak. You think it's easy for me? You'll forget all about my world when you go back, but at least I got to spend just a few more moments with his memory before you had to take it away from me." She took another unsteady breath as anger took over every bone in her body, "You're such a spiteful person... you have no right calling judgment on me and saying that my Clark meant nothing to me and that he was nothing but my hobby to be able to write stories about him... you have no idea what he meant to me and my son." She said through her teeth, "WE'RE THE ONES WITH THE HOLE LEFT IN OUR LIVES!" She shook her head at him, "Don't stand there and act like you know me cause I can tell you now that you know NOTHING about me if this is how you see me... you can say these things with no regret because you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to feel remorse or loss for..." Her lip trembled as she stifled a sob, "I'm the one who's hurting every day I look at you." The tears continued to stream down her cheeks, her face flushed, unaware that her hands were balled into her fists so hard her nails were digging through her palms, as she wiped the tears away from her face, "You think I've been comparing you this whole time? No. The SECOND you came into my world I knew you weren't my Clark... but you were still another version of him. And I knew what kind of person you were. Hell the first time you came here you threw me against a wall but I STILL gave you the benefit of the doubt! I NEVER compared you to my husband! I saw you as a friend. Someone who helped me grieve, who helped me accept my husband was gone and someone I can find comfort in just by talking to him because that's what always made me feel better when Clark Kent was here. Just have meaningful conversations about... anything. I just needed that but I NEVER thought you were meant to be a saviour, a Superman. I saw you as a person. Someone with a past he didn't want to face and if I'm a terrible person for being someone you consoled to then so be it. I'm a shitty person. I'm a shady bitch for being a FRIEND. For comforting you when you told me about your mother, about Lionel, about your fear of opening up to someone. I'm the bitch who LISTENED to you. And now that you see who Superman was now you feel intimidated? That I was looking up to you like a hero? No. You're no hero. You were my friend. Did you see me writing notes for my next article when you talked to me? Did you see any voice recorders hiding in the house with our conversations? Everything was REAL to me Clark but clearly I appear to be the shady bitch who doesn't give a crap about anything but being a reporter. And tonight? Tonight was about reminding me about who you really are? That all these months together were a lie and that wasn't who you really were? That you were faking being my friend?" She shook her head at him, taking a step back, "You don't have to remind me that you're Clark Luthor... I always knew you were nothing like Clark Kent, thank you for reminding me though." She took a deep breath as she stood looking at the ground, staring down at her shattered mug. They stood in complete silence until Lois finally broke it, "You need to leave." Clark blinked, finally able to move as he stood speechless, unable to move, unable to utter a single word as his mind went numb, her words echoing through his ears. She lifted her head to stare back at him. Her eyes stabbed his heart. They were empty, filled with completely empty feelings, completely closed off from him... and he didn't like it one bit. He knew his intention was to get her to see him exactly as she is now... but his heart... ached to be the object of her empty emotions. She had finally seen who he truly is. Cruel, selfish, emotionless, a Luthor. When he didn't move, Lois spoke in a loud, stern tone, "Get out of my house." It was cut throat, like she had just shot him at point blank range.

Clark didn't understand himself. He didn't want to leave, but seeing her like this, he knew he had to. Swallowing hard, he walked past her, rushing out the door without closing it as he walked down the hall. He slowed his pace to a stop a few feet away from her door as he leaned against a wall, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding this whole time. He leaned his head against the wall as he closed his eyes, and felt a sob break through his throat. He had never felt a sob before... not until Lois showed her hatred towards him. She hated him... yes. But that's what he wanted... right? It was easier now that she hated him, that way it would be easy when he left her... As twisted as it was, it was easier that the woman he loved hated him.

He loved her...

He knew he loved her the second she held his hand during one of the most difficult confessions of his life, but he never wanted to admit it then, and those feelings just got stronger over time... and he couldn't do that to himself. He couldn't fall in love with her... she wasn't his to love.

_There's a reason I said I'd be happy alone. It wasn't cause I thought I'd be happy alone. It was because I thought if I loved someone and then it fell apart, I might not make it. It's easier to be alone, because what if you learn that you need love and you don't have it? What if you like it and lean on it? What if you shape your life around it, and then it falls apart? Can you even survive that kind of pain? Losing love is like organ damage. It's like dying. The only difference is death ends. This? It could go on forever._

As those thoughts ran through his mind, he heard muffled sobs, coming from her place. He stood in the middle of the hall for a long while, contemplating on what to do. He continued to listen to her cry, harder and harder. He had caused this. He was the reason she was crying. He had hurt her so bad, but that was his initial goal when he came back here... so why was he feeling an unavoidable stabbing pain in his chest as he heard her sobs? Taking a deep breath, Clark pushed himself off the wall. _The hell with it_, he thought as he strode through the doorway, slowly walking through the corridor until he spotted her, kneeling on the floor, with her back to him as he noticed her shoulders shaking as she attempted to pick up the shattered pieces of glass off the floor. Unable to take the sight any longer, Clark slowly walked over to her, as she didn't notice he had come back yet. Kneeling down next to her, Clark brought his hand to wrap around hers. Lois froze the second his hand made contact with hers. He continued to hold her hand, making her drop the pieces on the floor. Lois kept her eyes glued to the floor. She was too tired to fight anymore, she couldn't fight it anymore. She couldn't, all her energy was gone as her mind went completely numb as she just lost it. Clark wrapped his arms around her waist and slowly lifted her up as they both stood. Lois sniffled as Clark cupped her face in his hands and lifted her face up to meet his eyes. They were filled with tears as she couldn't see his face. In that moment she broke down again and continued to sob as Clark wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, holding her for dear life that he never wanted to let her go. She sounded like she was going through a complete meltdown, her mind was numb, and there were no thoughts in her head as she cried her entire soul out, unable to think, unable to speak, her entire body shaking as she cried in his chest, sobbing hard as she couldn't breathe. He felt her tears stain his shirt, but he didn't care as he buried his face in her hair, his mouth next to her ear as he whispered, "I'm sorry... I'm so sorry Lois. Please don't cry... I'm here. I'm here for you... I'm so sorry Lois." He continued to whisper in her ear, unaware that he had called her Lois for the first time. He ran his hand up and down her back, as he felt her knees buckle and he supported her weight up, sitting them down on the couch, but he didn't let her go as she leaned her head in his shoulder, while he had his arm securely wrapped around her, soothing her as her sobs finally stopped after a while, tears streaming down her face endlessly and soon after that, she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Clark carefully put his arm under her legs and lifted her up effortlessly in his arms. Taking her to her room, he laid her on the bed, careful not to wake her as he wrapped the blanket around her. Moving her hair away from her face, Clark brushed his fingers against her cheek, wiping her tears away, his chest ached again to see her broken face, to see the pain he had caused her. Clark swallowed hard, and stood up, going into the living room, and cleaning up the broken mug. Once he had finished cleaning up, he contemplated leaving, realizing he didn't want to leave her... ever. He knew it was wrong, he knew he shouldn't be doing this. It wasn't logical, but he felt a pull towards her, he didn't want to be away from her. He walked towards her room, watching her sleep for a moment before slowly crawling in next to her. Clark swallowed nervously as she moved, slowly laying next to her, Clark watched her sleep for a while, feeling her breath on his face, impulsively, he wrapped his arms around her as she moved to rest her head on his chest, instinctively wrapping an arm around his waist in her sleep. Clark finally relaxed and rested his cheek on top of her head as he relished in her touch. She fit perfectly into him, if only for a night, he would have this, knowing tomorrow morning he would have to make amends, and make things right. She had seen a side of Clark Luthor he realized he never wanted her to see in the first place... that he would rather be the person she changed him into. Tonight she needed a friend. So he would be her friend.

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><p><em>The Next Morning<em>

Lois buried her face in her pillow, breathing in the scent, as she turned over, she slowly opened her eyes, feeling her throat choked up from last night, she was unaware if she could even find her voice at this point. She had completely broken down in front of him. Lois sighed, she never wanted to let him get to her, to hit her where it hurt. She never wanted to give him that satisfaction that he broke down her walls the way he claimed she broke his. _Never again_, she thought. He'll never see her that vulnerable again... she'll never try and get that close to him again... it was better that way. It was easier. Still, with that decision made, she couldn't help but remember he had come back for her, and instead of fighting him, she let herself be enveloped in his arms. She closed her eyes, remembering his warmth, she felt safe... almost like he cared for her. A faint sob rose up in her throat. She couldn't do this to herself, she couldn't let him do this to her. He hurt her, she couldn't just forget everything he had said to her... nor could she forget him sleeping next to her, wrapping her in his arms, like her Clark used to every night before he was taken away from her. Lois took a deep breath, covering her eyes with her hand, she swallowed hard as she turned her head to see the empty space on the bed, but there was a slight crease in the mattress where he laid. A crease that hadn't been present for a long time. She looked back up at the ceiling, listening to movement coming from her kitchen, she exhaled loudly, she didn't want to have to deal with this... she never thought she'd have to do this, but she had no choice... she couldn't do it anymore, not after last night. He didn't come back and comfort her for anything but pity. He felt sorry for her, that's the only reason he came back and held her, the only reason he slept in her bed with her. She couldn't deal with that, he couldn't feel sorry for her, nobody could. It was too much. It took all her will power to finally get out of bed, relishing in the sun shining through her room.

She looked back at the mirror, surprised at her flushed face, pink puffy eyes, and the tears that stained her cheeks she went to the master bathroom and washed her face, trying to hide everything that had transpired of her last night. She leaned her hands against the sink as she stared back at her reflection in the mirror, his words echoing through her ears...

Tugging at the corner of her mouth, Lois headed towards the kitchen, her eyes slightly widened as she saw Clark, sitting at the kitchen island, with her son on his lap as he was feeding him small bites of his pancake. Chris was giggling as he and Clark were playing with their food, with Clark throwing a grape in the air and catching it with him mouth which amused Chris as Clark fed him another small piece of pancake. Lois' lips parted at the sight, just like any other morning she dreamed of waking up to... with Clark Kent. This man wasn't him, he made that clear last night. After a while of drinking in the sight of her son with his father's counterpart, Lois finally stepped into the kitchen, making her presence well known, she slowly walked towards the island as Clark stopped playing with Chris and looked up at her, his smile fading. Lois noticed he seemed anxious when she walked in. She sat across from him, and Clark gave her a weak smile, to which Lois couldn't bring herself to return. Sighing, Clark stood up with Chris in his arms and handed him to Lois, as she brought her son on her lap, stroking his hair as she kissed his forehead, hugging him tightly, inhaling her son's scent. He was all she needed. She looked up at Clark as he handed her a plate full of pancakes. Looking up at him, Clark shrugged, "It's edible I swear, the instructions on the box were easy to follow... and given what happened last night... this is my peace offering..." He brought the stool to sit next to her, as Lois watched him with caution, her brows drew together when he took her hand in his, gripping it gently, she looked back up to his eyes, his eyes held so much emotion she never thought she'd seen that in Clark Luthor before, she couldn't put her finger on what it was exactly. Clark spoke in a surprisingly gentle tone, much different than his aggressive one before, "Lois... I'm so sorry about what happened last night." Lois stayed silent as he spoke her lips in a firm line, "I don't know what's happening to me I... you've changed me, and I got scared and... I took it out on you and I shouldn't have... this wasn't your fault, nothing was I just... I don't know it's just... I'm just pissed all the time, and there's nobody to be pissed at except you... but there's more to it-" He was going to continue, and tell her how he made her feel, exactly what he felt about her, what she did to him whenever she looked at him and exactly why he had lashed out on her last night, but was interrupted when Lois slipped her hand out of his grip.

His eyes voiced a look of sadness once Lois had taken her hand away, and replaced it with Chris'. Clark looked down at Chris, who was grinning at him and Clark couldn't help but smile back at the little guy, then impulsively tapped his nose with his finger which made Chris giggle. He smiled down at the boy for a while before his eyes rose up to meet Lois once again. Swallowing hard, Lois spoke in a strained voice, "A lot of stuff happened last night Clark... we said a lot of things to each other... there'll always be an excuse and honestly..." She slowly blinked and let out a long sigh, "I'm really tired of hearing you say that. I can't be your punching bag whenever you're pissed about something... and I won't be a target again." Lois lowered her head and sniffed Chris' hair, "I thought I could handle this... I really thought I could. But you haven't made it easy for me... and you made sure it wouldn't be easy, you made that pretty clear the second you got here."

"I know I said that but I don't feel that way anymore Lois I-"

"Don't Clark..." She said in a stern tone which cracked, "I don't want to hear it. I don't want your pity..." Clark furrowed his brows at her. She thought he pitied her? It was nothing like that, he wanted to tell her that so badly... but he couldn't find it in himself to admit his feelings to her anymore... it seemed better that way, he thought as she continued, "You never wanted to come here in the first place and... this was too hard for both of us... You need to go back to Watchtower... I can't be around you anymore."

Clark sat stiff in place, she was sending him away. She didn't want to be around him anymore... he had hurt her too much. Clark felt his heart plummet into his chest; he never felt this kind of inner pain before. He wanted to beg her not to give up on him, not to leave him... but why would he say that? After everything he accused her of last night why would she see him in any other way than a cruel being... inhuman. This was exactly what he deserved after how much he had hurt her... he didn't deserve her. Everyone always gave up on him... but it just hurt so much more to know that she did too. He couldn't blame her. She didn't deserve what he had done to her. He was a terrible person, and for the first time in his life, Clark actually cared. Swallowing hard, Clark nodded, looking down at the table, surrendering to her wish, "If that's what you want... then I'll go."

Lois nodded, her mouth in a firm line, "It is."

The ache in his heart only grew, "Alright" He breathed out. Clark remained seated as Lois got up and headed towards the den with her son as she sat him down on the ground. Once Chris was back down, he ran back to the kitchen where Clark sat, laying his hands on his lap. Clark smiled down at the boy, and the ache in his chest faded a bit as the boy lifted his arms up towards him as Clark lifted him up on his lap.

"I guess this is goodbye little guy... I'll miss you." He whispered, tightening his grip on Chris, rocking back and forth. Lois sighed, as she ignored the stabbing pain in her chest as she turned on the TV, needing to wait a while before she called Oliver.

Swallowing hard, she focused on the news, something she didn't see coming as she abruptly stood up from the couch as her eyes widened. Her hand trembled as the remote fell to the floor from her hands. She stood frozen in place as she watched the reporter on the TV, listening intently to every word he was saying about the murder victim who was strangled in her home and the body found early this morning by her roommate... and witnesses reporting a tall 6'3 dark haired broad male leaving her apartment at around 2:30AM. Lois suddenly felt cold, she felt completely in shock as the picture of the murder victim was displayed on the screen, making her lose her grip on the remote, feeling numb.

Andy had been murdered last night...

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><p><strong>You know the drill;) <strong>

**TBC!**


	30. You Lost Me

Alright I'm being nice cause you're comments made me happy:P!

Here's the next chapter Enjoyyyyyy!

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><p><strong>Chapter 30: You Lost Me- Christina Aguilera<strong>

_**I am done, smoking gun. We've lost it all, the love is gone. And we had magic, and this is tragic. I feel like our world's been infected, and somehow you left me neglected. We've found our lives been changed. **_

_**Babe, you lost me.**_

Her heart raced as she continued to listen to the news of Andy's murder.

_ Police reports that the victim, one Andrea Connelly has been brutally murdered last night as she had been strangled to death in her own apartment. The body had been found early this morning at 9:00AM by her roommate. Neighbors confirmed that there had been disruptive noise coming from her home at around 2AM and witnesses had seen a possible suspect leaving her home, described to be a tall Caucasian male around 6'4 with dark hair, and blue eyes, leaving her apartment at around 2:30AM, confirmed by the suspect's residence doorman. The scene of the crime had shown signs of struggle as well as a phone cord being the possible murder weapon, which is under current investigation..._

Lois stood, shell shocked, shaking her head to herself... _it can't be_, she thought. Tears stung her eyes as she began to breathe heavily. Andy's dead. Andy was murdered last night... and the man they were describing sounded too much like Clark Luthor... and he was with her last night. He was pissed off, and drunk... Her body trembled at the thought, she didn't want to assume it, but deep down she knew there was no other explanation; there was no getting out of this. Fear overcame her as she slowly turned to see her son in his arms. Lois' breathing picked up as a shiver went up her spine. There was only one thing that ran through her head... Clark Luthor killed Andy. Swallowing hard, she tried to compose herself as she turned off the TV, and walked towards them, silently taking Chris from Clark, into her arms. Clark looked up at her as she tried to keep her voice steady, hoping not to show him fear, "I'm gonna call Oliver." Clark sighed as he looked up at her sadly, this was it, he wasn't gonna see her after this. Unable to answer her, Clark simply nodded. There was nothing he can do to change her mind, he screwed up... and he did things last night that he couldn't take back, ever. Without another word, Lois strode towards her room with Chris in her arms. Seating him on her bed, she reached for her phone, and when she turned back around, saw Chris walking towards the door and she quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled him back, "Stop Chris!" She hissed as he tried to wriggle his way out of her grasp, fussing, and getting ready to cry. Lois huffed as she picked him up, bouncing him up and down as he wailed; she dialed Oliver's number as she leaned against her door, breathing heavily as she tried to calm her son down by making shushing noises, pleading for him to stop. She grew impatient as the phone kept ringing and sighed with relief when Oliver answered.

_"Hey Legs what's up?"_

Lois steadied her breathing as she spoke quietly, "Oliver... I need you to come to my place right now."

Oliver grew alarmed as he sat up straight from his desk at Luthorcorp,_ "Lois what's wrong?"_

Lois swallowed hard as she started shaking, "You need to take Clark back to Watchtower..."

His eyes widened, something happened, he could hear it in her voice. Oliver stood up,_ "Lois... tell me what happened. What did he do to you?"_

She looked around her room, how was she going to explain this to him, "I-I can't through the phone I just need you to come here... please."

_"Did he hurt you?!"_

Lois shook her head, "Not exactly... We got in a fight... and he left... Oliver... I think he killed someone last night." She whispered.

After a long pause, Lois thought he had hung up, but jumped when she heard his voice, _"I'm calling Kara." _Lois nodded and hung up the phone but gasped in surprise when she heard a knock at her room door behind her.

"Lois?" She froze in place when she heard his voice on the other side of her door, "Is everything okay?" She didn't answer him as she hugged her son closer to her chest, biting her bottom lip as she trembled. Clark sighed and spoke in a soft tone, "Can we talk... please?"

The tears stung in her eyes as her heart broke. How could he do this? She didn't want to believe it, but the evidence was stacked against him. The exact same description, the fact that he was probably the last person Andy saw last night. Lois wrapped her arms tightly around Chris as she opened the door slowly. Clark stared back at her with curiosity which suddenly turned into concern as he took in her expression. She wore a hard look, her jaw clenched as she took in a defensive stance against him. He was about to speak when she started, "Where were you last night?" She asked sternly.

Clark blinked, "What?"

"Before you came home, where did you go?" Her voice began to shake, and he could tell she looked unsettled.

Clark drew his brows together, why did she look so angry at him? "I walked around the city, and I ended up at a bar."

Lois' lips parted, "And you saw Andy there..." She breathed out. Clark away from her, ashamed for the first time, as she continued, "You went to her place didn't you..."

He turned back to look at her, "Yeah..."

The tears pooled in her eyes as she had to face the inevitable. She shook her head at him, "I just saw the news... Andy's been murdered."

Clark's eyes widened as she had said those words, "What?" He breathed out in surprise.

Lois narrowed her eyes at him, "You're gonna stand there and tell me you didn't already know?"

His lips parted, "What the hell are you talking about?! You think I killed her?" He huffed out in shock that she would accuse him of that.

"Her neighbors saw you leaving her place! And her roommate found her a couple hours later you're telling me that was just a coincidence?!" She exclaimed with the tears stinging her eyes.

Clark stared back at her astonished, "Maybe the neighbors saw me leaving her place because we just finished having sex!"

Lois shook her head to herself, "They heard disruptive noises from her place Clark! And her place was trashed!" She took a step back, "You were pissed off, and you were drunk. You took out your anger on me... did you take it out on her too?" She breathed out, not believing she was actually asking him this.

Clark could see the fear in her eyes, she was afraid of him. He tilted his head at her, pleading with his eyes, "Lois..." He took a step towards her, looking back at Chris, about to touch her face when she covered Chris' head and stepped away from him.

"NO! You stay the hell away from us! Stay away!" She created as much distance as she could from him.

His heart sank when she lashed out; he took another step towards her, speaking slowly, "Lois... I wouldn't do something like that. I would never kill an innocent person you have to believe me!"

Lois turned away from him, "Trust me Clark, there's nothing I'd want more... but I can't ignore what's in front of me. I saw how angry you looked last night... and you've killed before." Clark shook his head at her, "You hated me for the way you were changing, that you were becoming soft... and you wanted to prove to me that you weren't like that. You made it clear that I had to see you as the villain... you made it very clear that you were a murderer." Lois looked back at him, her bottom lip trembling.

Without giving her any time, Clark grabbed her arms, and looked her straight in the eyes, as she tried to pull away, "Listen to me... I know I said those things last night but I rebelled against my own feelings Lois... you have to believe me I'm not that kind of person!"

Swallowing hard, Lois tried to struggle out of his iron grip, "I don't know what to believe anymore Clark... but I can't ignore what happened last night... you wanted to prove something to me last night... was that it? You wanted to prove that you were a murderer? To show me just how different you were from Superman?!" She clenched her jaw at him.

His grip loosened on her, but he kept her close to him, "You really think I'd do that? Screw what the evidence saying! I didn't do it! I DIDN'T KILL HER!" He shook her as he lashed out, needing her to believe him.

Lois winced against his grip, "Let me go Clark!" Her grip tightened on her son while Clark dug his fingers into her arms, pleading for her to believe him.

Clark winced when he felt someone tightly grip his shoulder blade, making his loosen his grip on Lois. Kara stood behind him with a firm look, "That's enough." She said in a monotone voice. She tugged Clark roughly away from Lois as Clark stumbled back; keeping his eyes on her while Lois refused to look at him, focusing her attention on Chris who began to cry uncontrollably. Kara turned to face Lois, "Are you okay?"

Lois took a shaky breath as she looked up at Kara, nodding, "You need to leave." Kara blinked while Clark held his breath, hoping that she had finally believed him, "Take him with you. He can't stay here anymore. Keep him away."

Her eyes went down to her son, breathing in his scent as Kara nodded, turning back to Clark, wearing a stern look as she roughly grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the door. Clark resisted for a moment as he went to Lois, "Please... you have to believe me I didn't do it Lois. I didn't kill her! I can't leave knowing that this is what you think of me... I DIDN'T DO IT!" Lois ignored him as she continued to look down at her son, who reached his arms out to Clark, beginning to wail while Lois turned away so her son's view was blocked, breathing heavily, Clark whispered, "I didn't do it..."

Clark waited for her to respond, but when she didn't he felt his whole world crashing down. Kara grabbed his arm and tugged him out the door, and before Clark left, he saw a glimpse of her broken face before she was about to break down.

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><p><em>Watchtower<em>

Both Kara and Clark kept silent as they entered Watchtower together. Clark sighed in frustration when he saw they weren't alone. Tess, Bruce and Emil were all there, surprised to see them.

Bruce walked towards them, his brows furrowed in confusion as Kara led them in, "What's going on? What's he doing here?" He asked.

Kara took a deep breath, "Oliver called me. He said I needed to bring Clark back here... Lois asked me to take him back. He's being confined here now."

His eyes widened as he turned towards Clark, "Why? What did you do to her?!"

Clark didn't answer as he shot daggers towards Bruce through his eyes. Kara shook her head at them, "They were in the middle of something when I got there... She looked pretty shaken up."

Bruce's lips parted as his concern fell for Lois, "Is she okay?" Kara nodded, "I should go see her." As he was about to leave, Kara halted him.

"Oliver and Chloe are heading there right now... she'll be fine." She replied.

Bruce turned back to face Clark, taking a step towards him, speaking through his teeth, "I swear to god if you hurt her I'll kill you."

Clark narrowed his eyes at him, clenching his jaw, "Don't start threatening me Wayne, just walk away."

"Or what? You're gonna hit me like you did with Oliver? You're in no position to threaten me. I know Lois didn't just kick you out for nothing; you screwed up real bad didn't you? You must really hurt her..." Shaking his head at Clark, Bruce spoke in a low tone, "She's been nothing but fair to you how could you do this to her?! She treated you better than any of us! I swear I'm gonna make sure your stay here is worse than hell."

Clark leaned forward, "You don't know what you're talking about." He hissed, "Don't push me bitch."

"Okay that's enough!" Kara raised her voice, pulling Clark away from Bruce, "Now if you two boys are done being in High School; Bruce I think you should leave if you're not going to be civil around him. We don't need a fight to breakout in here. There's more important stuff to worry about." She said in a hard tone.

Bruce gritted his teeth while he brushed past Clark, hitting his shoulder against his as he left, while Clark's anger rose.

Tess stood up and slowly strode towards Kara, "You mind telling me what happened?"

Kara shook her head, "I really don't know... Oliver just called me to bring him here no questions asked." She turned towards Clark, "Come on, let's talk." Without looking back, Kara walked towards the room where they kept him when he first got here. Clark and Tess made eye contact, to which Tess merely looked at him with disappointment, to which he ignored and walked past her.

Once Clark walked into the room, Kara closed the door as he turned to face her, "Look-"

Before he knew it, Clark was pushed back against a wall while Kara wrapped her hand around his neck, putting pressure on it while he struggled to breathe under her grasp. Kara narrowed her eyes at him, "What the hell happened back there with Lois?!" She hissed, bringing her face closer to his, "What did you do Luthor? Don't you dare lie to me or I swear I'll make sure Bruce keeps to his promise." She spat through her teeth.

Clark grunted in pain as Kara let go of him, he tried to pace his breathing, bringing his hand to his neck. Clark swallowed hard as he looked up at Kara who wore a menacing look. Sighing to himself, he slowly walked past her, burying his hands in his face, "She thinks I killed someone last night..."

Her raised her brow as she stepped towards him, "I figured as much" Placing her hand on his shoulder, she made him turn around to face her, "Did you..."

Clark shook his head, "No! I didn't kill her I'm being framed! I... it's purely a coincidence that I was with her the same night she died."

Kara drew her brows together, "What? Who are you talking about?! You left Lois' place?! You went out to the city?" Clark didn't answer her which angered Kara, "I warned you Clark... I warned you NOT to break the rules. What provoked you to break the one thing we asked you to do!"

Clark didn't seem to listen as he had a distant thought. All he could think about was Lois, the way she looked at him, how she looked so afraid of him, protecting her son from him... he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, "We had a fight last night and I... I lost it and I had to step out and be on my own... It was my fault." He ended up telling Kara what had happened as she listened intently.

Kara tilted her head at Clark, as her features finally softened, feeling sympathy for her cousin's counterpart, "Oh Clark..." She didn't know what else to say, "I wish I could help you out, but you pushed her limits, and Lois couldn't handle you anymore. I told you... we all told you to treat her well... we trusted you to be civil and to follow our rules... and you broke that trust" She shook her head at him with disappointment, "And now look at the mess you've gotten yourself into... how did you think this was going to end?" Without another word she turned to walk away.

Clark looked back at her, "What... you're not gonna cuff me to a chair again?" He raised his brow at her.

Kara pursed her lips at him, "Not this time. You may have screwed up your living arrangements but you're no prisoner... nor do you seem to want to kill any of us, I think we're safe with you walking around here freely." She sighed as she opened the door to leave, "If it's any constellation, I believe you didn't kill that woman. If anything you'd own up to it... You've changed Luthor... I'll see if I can talk to Lois."

Clark shook his head, "Don't do that. She wanted me to leave before she even found out about Andy... either way she doesn't want me around anymore... forget it. It's better this way."

She sighed, "But at least I can convince her you didn't kill that woman..."

He turned away from her, swallowing hard, "What's the point... if this is how she sees me then I don't care. She clearly doesn't know me that well, I don't need anyone to try and talk to her. Just leave her alone."

Kara's lips parted as she was about to say something, but thought better of it as she closed the door behind her, leaving him alone with his thoughts. She returned back to Tess and Emil, "Is everything okay out here?"

Tess crossed her arms, "Yeah it's fine... We're just fixing up things with the generator. It's the one I used before on the Crystal of Knowledge to try and configure it, but it didn't work... until Chloe apparently used her Brainiac skills to activate it. We're just modifying it."

She nodded, "And that's going to help locate the mirror box?" While they were talking, both Chloe and Oliver entered Watchtower.

Emil continued to talk to Kara as they approached them, "It won't be the core activation generator... like Jor-El said we need a human vessel."

Chloe put her hands on her hips, "Then I should be the vessel."

Everyone turned to Chloe in surprise. Kara drew her brows together, "Chloe we haven't made a decision if we should even risk it. Using a human vessel to store Kryptonian information into can cause serious damage to the human brain."

Chloe shook her head, "Jor-El used Lionel as a human vessel and he was fine."

"He had the occasional psychotic episodes and ended up in the psych ward in a coma cause of Jor-El and the information stored in his brain, I won't risk that on you Chloe, you almost died the last time!" Oliver explained.

Chloe shook her head, "I trust Jor-El to be able to make this safe for me and besides, I was taken over by Brainiac the last time, all his information stored into my brain expanded. It was Brainiac's doing that almost killed me not Jor-El... I'm sure once the mirror box is found Jor-El will take all the information out of my brain, like he did before. I'm only suggesting I do it cause I've had past experience with having Kryptonian knowledge before so I know how to adapt quickly."

Oliver shook his head, "No, I won't risk your life."

"Oliver..." Chloe pleaded.

"Chloe! The answer is no. I was there the last time you played that trick on the crystal to bring Lois and Clark out of the Phantom Zone all those years ago remember? Your nose was bleeding and you almost passed out. You became a completely different person, not even human you were a machine. No. I won't risk that on you. On anybody." He looked at the rest of the group, making it clear that it wasn't an option.

Chloe sighed, "Kara said that Jor-El told her if Clark Luthor stays here any longer then that messed up the grand design and the balance of the parallel universes. It'll mess up with our world too and there will be a consequence if it's too late. We only have a limited time left Ollie."

Oliver nodded, "Then we find another way. Your life is more important than the whole balance of the mirrored worlds. I could give a shit about that." Sighing in frustration, Chloe shook her head and turned away from him.

Bruce turned to Oliver, "How's Lois?"

He nodded, "As good as she can be. She's just a little shaken up. She wanted to be alone, but I told her to call if she needed us."

Tess furrowed her brows, "What the hell happened between her and Luthor?" She exclaimed, frustrated that she was out of the loop.

Oliver shook his head, "It's a long story... but Clark left her home last night and went out to a bar, picked up a girl... and now that girl was found dead in her apartment."

Her eyes widened, while Emil asked, "Did Luthor do it?!"

Chloe shrugged sadly, "We don't know that it was him... but something happened last night and it went out of hand... she couldn't deal with him around anymore. All we know is that he's a possible suspect for the murder case."

"You're telling me people have seen his face?!" Tess exclaimed.

"No they just have a pretty accurate description of him... being the last person to see the victim alive." Oliver explained.

Tess crossed her arms and shook her head at them, "I hate to say I told you so... but I f*cking told you so! I knew he wouldn't listen to us! This has gone out of hand and now he's murdered someone! Something he does best! Let me guess, it bothered him that he's gone this long without blood on his hands it was driving him crazy!" She muttered under her breath whilst shaking her head, "Sick bastard."

Oliver rubbed the back of his neck, "I know Tess..." He said under his breath, "We never should've let him live with Lois."

Chloe shook her head, worrying her lip, "I don't believe it though..." They all turned to her, "I just can't wrap my head around the fact that they've been living together for months now, and he all of a sudden goes on a rampage?"

"He's not Clark Kent, Chloe." Oliver said, "You're gonna have to realize that. This is what he's capable of... I wouldn't rule out the fact that he probably did kill her. I won't make that mistake again." He said through his teeth, eyeing the closed doors Clark was behind.

Kara was stunned, "You don't know the whole story... Kal-EL didn't do it. I promise you he didn't."

"How do you know that for sure?" Tess challenged, "Just cause he told you his sob story? He wants you to feel sorry for him... He's manipulating you like he did Lois!" She exclaimed.

"If that was the case why didn't he kill Lois?" Kara questioned.

"Probably cause he knew we wouldn't let him live to see another day if he did... so he looked for another alternative." Oliver suggested.

Chloe looked at him in shock, "You're honestly telling me you think he would've killed Lois if he could? He's not a monster Ollie..."

"You don't know that Chloe." Everyone stayed silent, "I mean how much do any of us know about Clark Luthor? If Lois can believe it, someone who's been living with him for this long, then I think it's safe to say I believe it too." Clark stayed on the other side of the door, leaning his head against it as he listened to what they were saying about him, breathing heavily at Oliver's last words... Lois believes he's a murderer.

Kara bit her bottom lip, "And if he didn't do it... then someone else is framing Clark Luthor for murder... and possibly has a hidden agenda for it."


	31. Truth, Bitter Truth

**Chapter 31: Truth, Bitter Truth- Marianne Faithfull**

_**Who is he? Do you know? This man of power but a fool. They said he was so high and pure, they also said that he was cruel. They wanted lies, he said the truth. Who was it told the truth, the bitter truth. The truth they didn't want to know?**_

"You nervous for tonight Jimmy?" Lois asked while she did his tie for him.

Jimmy gulped nervously, "I haven't exactly been to a gentleman's club before... like ever."

Lois shook her head, smiling, "Don't worry, you'll do fine. Just don't engage in conversations with guys with guns." She chuckled as Jimmy rolled his eyes at her. He noticed she had a distant look on her face while she continued to do his tie.

"You okay Lois?"

Lois sighed and shook her head, "Not really... it's been a while since I started this investigation and I feel like I'm not even close to finding out the truth about the serial killer. I've written like a hundred articles in the meantime and this is the one article that's still in progress... I just wish we'd find him already and close this case... maybe if I'd given the story to Andy she would've done a better job at it."

Jimmy gripped her shoulders and made her look at him, "Hey don't do that. You're trying your hardest, Lois I've never seen anyone work their butt off solving cases as much as you. You pretty much do more investigating than reporting and it's really changed the world. This guy's just that good that he can hide from Lois Lane this long... his luck should run out though I feel like we're getting close." Lois gave him a weak smile and turned away. Jimmy pursed his lips and said, "Don't beat yourself up for what happened with Andy Lois... it's not your fault."

Lois' eyes fluttered as she took a deep breath, "Really? Cause it sure as hell feels like it Jimmy..." She whispered as the tears stung her eyes.

He tilted his head to the side, "What do you mean? There's nothing you could've done to cause this."

She turned away from him as she wiped the tears from her eyes, "I can't believe this happened to her... God I wish I wasn't so petty with her... she just wanted to be a good journalist... and now because of me she's..."

Jimmy shook his head in confusion at what she meant and pulled her in for a hug after seeing her broken face, "It's gonna be okay Lois. Don't blame yourself for this..." There was a long silence before he spoke, "I have a theory at what might've happened."

She pulled away from him, "What?"

He shrugged, "I feel like it was the serial killer."

Lois shook her head, furrowing her brows at him, "Why would you think that? This guy has a pattern and kills his victims the same way... Andy was strangled in her apartment it'd be pretty sloppy if it was him. Trust me Jimmy it wasn't him." She whispered the last part.

Jimmy nodded, "It was just a theory... I figured maybe cause she got too close to figuring out the truth about who he really is and wanted to get rid of her..." Lois nodded, thinking about that, when she heard a knock on the door.

She went to go open it and smiled as Bruce came inside, "Hey stranger."

He nodded back at her, "Hey yourself." He turned to face Jimmy, "You ready for tonight Olsen Jr?"

Jimmy sighed nervously, "As ready as I'll ever be I guess."

Lois smiled, "You know what you're mission tonight is right?"

He nodded, "Get myself in, sneak into the back, and ask any of the... s-strippers if they knew Christina McWaters and if she had a relationship with Louise or any of the other victims and their connection to Morgan Edge."

Lois nodded, "And most importantly Jimmy, don't get caught." He rolled his eyes at her which made her chuckle.

Bruce pulled out the membership card and handed it to Jimmy, "Here's your card to get in... but I don't think you'll need it since you'll be there for a 'business meeting' with me."

Lois and Jimmy looked at him with surprise, "You're going in with him?"

He shrugged, "The kid's not going to get through this club without someone higher up... I'll accompany and cover for him while he's questioning the ladies. And hope the owner doesn't get suspicious if he's there."

Lois nodded, "This actually makes me feel better, at least Jimmy will have reinforcements." She huffed, "Edge's estranged son is the new owner of this club. This guy's been acquitted of every crime he's ever committed he's a con! Once I'm done this story on the Metropolis serial killer I'm going to take down Morgan Edge's last heir to Intergang once and for all."

Bruce smirked at her, "One thing at a time Lane... you're lucky you haven't been on this guy's radar yet." Lois elbowed him in the ribs as they all laughed. Bruce held out a silver pen to Jimmy, who looked at him confused, "It's a mini camera hidden at the tip. You just click the pen and it snaps photos. I figure you'd need it considering you're a pro photographer."

Jimmy grinned at him, "Thanks Mr. Wayne."

She walked towards Jimmy and adjusted his collar, "You call me if you need anything or if you're in trouble. I'll help you as much as I can okay? I have a knack for getting out of sticky situations." Jimmy nodded as Lois straightened out his tie once again, "Be safe Jimmy."

Jimmy chuckled, "I'll be fine Lois. I've done all this undercover work before you know."

She squinted her eyes at him, "Yeah but you haven't gone solo until tonight." Jimmy shook his head at her as he left.

"I'll meet you downstairs wait by my limo." Bruce patted Jimmy's arm as he left. He turned towards Lois and lifted her chin up to meet his eyes, "You okay Lo?"

Lois sighed and attempted a weak smile, "I'm fine."

Bruce pulled at the corner of his lip, "You know I know that's a bunch of crap right?"

The corner of her mouth tilted up, "What do you want me to say? Andy's gone... Clark's a suspect..." She put her hands on her hips, "I worked with her Bruce... we were even working on the same story on this killer and I was..." She huffed, "God I was such a bitch to her... if I hadn't gotten into that fight with Clark that night I could've... I could've stopped this from happening to her."

"Hey..." He pulled her into a hug, "There's nothing you could've done."

A single tear fell down her cheek, "What if I'm wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

She pulled out of his embrace, "What if Clark didn't do it... and I'm just accusing him of a crime he didn't commit?"

He furrowed his brows, "Is that how you feel?"

She looked up at him for a long while and sighed, "I don't know..."

Bruce tilted his head at her, "Look, I may not know a lot about Luthor... but I can tell that _you_ don't want to believe it. I can tell you had a real connection with him, and the time he spent with you really took a toll on him. If you have doubts then it's for a good reason... but usually your instincts are spot on... If you're not sure then why were you so quick to just send him back to Watchtower... I know you Lois, you would've heard him out first."

Lois answered in a tired tone, "It wasn't just about that. A lot happened that night... I don't know it just seemed... It was too much of a coincidence that Andy... died the same night he left my place... but now that I look back, and the way he looked at me... I don't know... it seemed like he was telling the truth. And he so badly wanted me to believe him Bruce..."

He drew his brows together, "Why did he even leave your home in the first place? What happened that night Lo?"

Lois didn't answer as she stared back at him for a long moment before stepping back, "You should probably go, Jimmy's waiting for you."

Bruce sighed, realizing she wasn't going to tell him exactly what had happened that night, but he could tell she was hurting because of it, "I'll come back after we're done. I don't want to leave you alone tonight."

Lois sighed, nodding at him with a smile, "I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." He leaned in and kissed her forehead before leaving to help out Jimmy with her story. Lois let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Running her fingers through her hair, she sat herself down on the couch, thinking about nothing in particular, gripping her hands together. Her home felt so quiet, and empty... like a pin drop can be heard. She looked down at her hands, realizing they were now holding her little boy's hands. She lifted her head to look up at him as he grinned back at her, holding up his Monster Truck toy. Lois leaned her forehead against his as she took the truck from his hand. She got off the couch and lifted him in her arms, "Come on buddy, you wanna get some ice cream?"

Chris nodded vigorously and yelled out, "Ya!" Placing his palm on her face he bounced up and down in her arms.

Lois chuckled, "Let's go get you some, Mommy's in the mood for some rocky road." She said as she took him out with her. As she walked down the streets with her son, she never noticed the dark figure standing in the corner of the alley across the street from her condo, watching her until she was out of sight.

* * *

><p><em>Watchtower<em>

Clark sat in the room where he could be secluded from everyone on the other side of the door. He sat leaned forward with his head dropped down, clasping his hands together, dazing off, back to that night.

_Son of a bitch...Go cry to someone who cares... he wasn't a husband to you, he was a hobby...WE'RE THE ONE'S WITH THE HOLE LEFT IN OUR LIVES!_

He closed his eyes, letting out a sigh, flashes of her face appearing in his head. Her smile, her eyes, her warmth from the small moments he had when he held her in his arms. He couldn't keep her off his mind as he thought about Chris, his blue eyes looking back at him with curiosity... the way Lois held him, to protect him... the look of fear in her eyes thinking that he would actually hurt Lois and her son. He did hurt her. She was nothing but kind to him and he threw it back in her face. He was a real bastard. And now she thinks he murdered someone... why wouldn't she think that of him. Everyone else thought less of him, why was she any different? Why did he care so much that she saw him as a monster? He gritted his teeth, memories of their fight was embedded in his head, knowing that was the last moment he would spend with her, the last memory he would have of her caused an ache in his chest. Fear that he would never see her beautiful face smiling up at him again. Thinking back to all that time spent on trying to hate her when he could've truly opened his heart to her and she could've taken it.

Meanwhile, Tess and Oliver were talking while Emil was busy making adjustments to the generator, "Looks like you owe me your case of cigars now..."

Oliver shook his head to himself with a long sigh, "I'm sorry Tess... I should've listened to you."

Tess scoffed, "You're damn right you should've... this has gone too far. You should've known he wouldn't follow the rules and what does he do? He leaves her home and that cost an innocent woman her life!"

"First of all it's not for sure that he had anything to do with the murder."

She tilted her head at him in disbelief, "You really believe that it's only a coincidence that someone ends up dead the same night he goes off wondering around our city for the first time? You really believe that?" Oliver sighed, looking straight ahead, "I knew Lois couldn't handle this. She let her feelings get the best of her when she suggested babysitting him."

Oliver shook his head, "I wanted to give her time to enjoy the idea of being with Clark Kent's memory... because once we do this it's all gonna disappear for her Tess. Once we find a way to get that box he's gone."

Tess leaned forward, "It's not real Oliver. It's okay if he disappears, she can go back to her life, back to the way it's supposed to be. She should've never screwed with the forces of nature in the first place!" She said with a hint of irritation.

Oliver shook his head at her insensibility, "She was lonely and vulnerable Tess, you know that's why she did this in the first place, and that was why she suggested him living with her. She wanted to be around him again... you can't tell me I'm wrong for agreeing to let her be around him. She found a way to cope with her loss. Am I supposed to just take that away from her just like that? I agreed to this cause I didn't want to see her hurting anymore, I wanted to let her have her short fantasy of having her Clark again. She wanted this."

"Of course she did because that's where love exists, in delusional fantasies. Real love isn't like that Ollie! You shouldn't have let it go this far. Someone died Oliver, and that's on us. It's our fault we were so careless into thinking Clark Luthor would be an actual human being. That woman's death... was our fault."

Oliver didn't want to hear it anymore; he strode off towards the room where Luthor was in. As his hand wrapped around the handle, he stopped himself. Oliver huffed out, knowing that if he actually faced him he'll do some serious damage, it took a lot of self control for him to let go of the handle, stepping away from the door. Emil, who watched the scene, asked, "You okay Oliver?"

Shaking his head, Oliver turned back to Emil, "Fine. Let's just work on this generator and then we'll discuss with Kara whenever she's ready to de-activate the Fortress and bring the crystal. How much longer is this gonna take?"

Emil replied, "You're going to have to give me some time. The last time this was used was when Chloe activated to bring Clark and Lois back from the phantom zone all those years ago and it sort of malfunctioned afterwards just give me some time I can't tell you when it'll be ready." They all nodded. Oliver didn't make eye contact with Tess, feeling completely ashamed for being so naive and trusting Clark Luthor.

* * *

><p><em>The Daily Planet: Later that Night<em>

"Thanks a lot for all your help Mr. Wayne. You pretty much saved my ass back there." Jimmy smiled sheepishly.

Bruce nodded, "You did good Jimmy. I hope you got enough to help solve your story."

Jimmy nodded, full of confidence, "I hope so too."

"I'm gonna go over to see Lois, I'll let her know how it went. You sure you don't want a ride home?"

He shook his head, "No thanks, I think I'm gonna organize my notes, see if I can make some more connections."

Bruce nodded, patting his back, "See you around Jimmy." Jimmy waved goodbye to him as he sighed, walking towards the elevator.

He came to a halt when he saw the night maintenance worker cleaning out Andy's desk, he walked towards him, "Hey, what are you doing?"

The maintenance worker turned to Jimmy with an annoyed look, "Cleaning out Ms. Connelly's desk. Her family's coming to pick up her belongings in the morning."

Jimmy held up his hand, pointing at the box he was holding, "You mind if I take that? I'd like to bring it to her family, offer my condolences personally." The janitor shrugged, handing the box to Jimmy as he walked past him, "Have a good night" He called out, to which the janitor waved his hand back, continued to walk away. Taking a deep breath, Jimmy dropped the box onto Andy's desk, sitting himself down, he searched through the box through all her notes and he stumbled on a large manila envelope as he opened it up his eyes widened at what he found.

* * *

><p>Lois had placed a sleeping Chris in his bed, smiling down at him as she watched him resting peacefully, "It's just you and me again buddy." She brushed her fingers through his dark hair, "I love you so much." She said softly. Suddenly, she heard her phone buzzing in her pocket. As she took it out, she saw it was Jimmy. Slowly slipping out of Chris' room, closing the door behind her, she walked towards the den before she answered the phone, "Hey Jimmy. How'd it go?"<p>

_"Lois you won't believe how much I've found out!"_ She heard Jimmy say, sounding out of breath.

"What'd you find?" She said with eagerness.

_"I got to the strip club and found a way to sneak into the dressing rooms to where the strippers were changing..."_

Lois chuckled, "You must've had a hard time covering that tent growing in your pants."

Jimmy rolled his eyes, "Can you please focus?"

"Alright sorry, go on."

_"I asked around about Christina McWaters. I talked to a girl named Annie, and she was good friends with Christina, and she said that she used to see Morgan Edge meet with Michael Sanders all the time before he got exploited by Louise. Louise came to Christina 3 years ago, because Michael was one of her clients and she was her source for the article she wrote about him. Christina was her anonymous source and she gave Louise so much information on Morgan's meetings with him and what he wanted Michael to do for him using his badge. Apparently men talk when they're given a lap dance."_

Lois blinked and her eyes widened, "Oh god, so Michael must've found out that Christina was part of the reason his life turned into crap and that she was helping his girlfriend turn him in."

_"That's not all Lois. That's all I found out from the club but when I got back to the Planet I searched through Andy's notes on her part of the story."_

Lois raised her brows, "Jimmy why would-"

_"Just hear me out!"_ Lois stayed silent, _"Lois... she found out the connection with the other victims. Quinn Weitzman was a bartender at Claws before she became a book publisher. And one of Morgan Edge's bodyguards also worked as a bouncer there, and she had given Louise information whenever Michael Sanders came to the bar, suspiciously meeting with the bouncer in a separate room, most likely to send messages to Edge. Andy had found a hardware which held all of Louise's sources on that story, all her notes, investigation, leads, EVERYTHING about that article and Michael Sanders is on this hard drive... and she found it in Michael's home... after persuading the parole officer into telling her where Michael lived now, she broke into his house and stole the hard drive that belonged to Louise which had everything I'm looking at it right now it has everything that Louise had to work on her article to exploit him. Now why would Michael have this? Unless he broke into Louise's home to steal it and make a list of all the people who helped Louise send him to prison."_

Lois' lips parted, "That's why Michael's house was empty when we got to it... he found out someone broke in and the hardware was gone so he fled!"

Jimmy nodded, _"Both Christina and Quinn had met with Louise, passing her information on it. Lois my theory is that Michael had killed Louise after being released from prison, then broke into her home and stolen her hardware and started hunting down everyone that was involved in helping her ruin his life. He's out for revenge."_

Lois shook her head, "Andy had this the whole time? We went to Michael's house a week ago, why did she keep this for so long why not take this to the police?"

_"I have no idea Lois..."_

They stayed silent for a while, then Lois had a thought, "What about Vanessa Jenson, the last victim, was she a source too?"

_"That's the weird thing... there's nothing about Vanessa in this. She had no connection whatsoever to Louise, her article, Michael, or any of the other victims, I asked the girls at the club if they knew her they said they've never seen or heard of her before."_

Lois placed her hand on her chest, "Even so... it's him... he's the serial killer. He has to be!" She turned around and suddenly froze in place, her eyes widened in shock.

Jimmy swallowed hard, _"Lois... I think he's the one who killed Andy... Lois?... Lois you still there?"_ Lois had dropped her phone to her side as she stood completely stiff, staring back at the tall figure of the man standing before her, leaning against the wall in the dim light, staring back at her with a slight smile.

"So you and your sidekick figured it out... congratulations." He said in his low, sultry voice. Lois stared wide eyed at the tall man, realizing the description fit.

_Tall Caucasian male, 6'4, dark hair, blue eyes. _She looked down at his shoes and her breath caught in her throat, her heart beginning to race..._ Size 11 Timberlands._

Lois shook her head back at him, "How'd you get in here..." She said in a shaky tone.

Michael tilted his head to the side, watching her closely, "I've been watching you for a while, I know your routines. I made sure your husband was out of the picture... Say, isn't that guy supposed to be dead? Why's he in hiding Lois Lane?" Lois swallowed hard, her eyes flickering towards Chris' room, then back to Michael. She had to get out of here, "I waited till you stepped out with your son... sweet looking kid by the way. Too bad his mommy's been nosy." Lois narrowed her eyes at him, then grabbed a vase and swung it at him. Michael ducked and grabbed her wrist, smashing the vase against the wall, making it shatter and cut her hand. Lois kicked him hard in the shin which made him loosen his grip as he yelped out, kneeling to the floor. Lois tried kicking him again in the face, but he caught her leg, twisting it to the side, making her fall to the floor. Michael went on top of her, covering her face with his palm, taking her head and smashing it down hard on the floor. Lois gritted her teeth; she was seeing white blotches as she felt excruciating pain in her head that spread to her face. Trying to recover, she tried getting up, and elbowed him in the face which gave her enough time to get out of his grip. She headed towards Chris' room, but felt his arms locking her from behind as she tried to body slam him against the wall, knocking over a lamp. He threw her over the couch, while Lois rolled over, and got up. She ran to the kitchen and got a knife lying on the counter.

She huffed at Michael as he stood before her, eyeing the knife she was pointing at him, "If you think I'm going down without a fight you're seriously deluded! I grew up-"

"On the base, with a four star general, Sam Lane." Lois blinked when he finished her sentence for her, "I've done my homework Lois Lane. I know what I'm up against. You're also up against a trained ex-cop. A reporter ruined my life before, and I'm sure as hell not letting that happen again!" He ran towards her as Lois stabbed him in the arm to which he screamed out, while Lois swung her arm back and met his jaw with her fist. She took a defensive stance as Michael struggled to pull the knife out of his arm and threw it on the floor, "I'm gonna make sure you suffer the most!"

With that she slammed her palm into his nose, and punched him straight in the gut. Once he was down, she took a glass plate and tried to smash it on his head to which Michael punched her stomach that winded her, making her fall to the floor. He was about to pick her up when Lois kicked his knee, making him yell out in pain. Lois stumbled as she got up, turning around she jumped in the air and did a high kick which met his sternum and Michael fell back, soon falling to the floor as Lois kicked him square in the face as his nose was gushing blood. As Lois thought he was going to stay down for a while, she took her chance and ran towards Chris' room, hoping she would have time to get them both out of here. As she was about to reach her son's room, Lois felt her body being pulled back roughly, she turned to face Michael, who swung the knife at her while Lois kept dodging it. She backed away and saw the closest thing she could get which were her curtains as she jumped up and ripped the curtain rod off the wall and swung it at Michael's head, as he dropped the knife, he blinked, unable to speak he held his head in his hands. Lois dropped the rod and tried running towards her son's room again as she heard his cries, she knew she had to get them out of there fast. She breathed frantically as she was about to reach for the door handle when she felt excruciating stabbing pain as Michael had hit her in the back with the curtain rod. She was about to fall to the ground when Michael picked her up over his shoulder she began kicking and screaming, punching his back as he got angry and threw her down onto the glass coffee table, shattering underneath her as her body smashed against it, and Lois' vision became blurry. She was in too much pain she couldn't move as her breath caught in her throat. Blood, was oozing out of the back of her head as it stained her carpet, while she was covered in glass... and her own blood. She felt herself falling into unconsciousness as she tried lifting her head, tried to fight it, feeling herself sinking into a dark abyss while Michael stood over her, her eyes involuntarily closed, hearing her baby's cries fade.


	32. Iridescent

Thank you all for the AWESOME reviewss:D!

Heres the next chapterr :P!

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><p><strong>Chapter 32: Iridescent- Linkin Park<strong>

**_You were standing in the wake of devastation. And you were waiting in the edge of the unknown. And with the cataclysm raining down, insides crying "Save me now". You were there, impossibly alone. _**

Bruce walked down the hall in silence, wondering how Lois was doing since earlier that evening before he left with Jimmy. He wanted to go straight to her home, but Diana had found him letting him know that there was trouble in Gotham where he was needed. After being flown back to Gotham on her plane, and fightin against the evil that lurked around his city, he decided to come back to Metropolis and give comfort to the woman who had become his best friend. After everything that had happened with Clark Luthor, he could tell she was hurting, even though he wasn't getting the full version of the story.

He knew from the look on Clark's face, things had gone very wrong. As he got to her door, Bruce took a deep breath and gently knocked, hoping she wouldn't push him away, and let him be her shoulder to lean on once again. As he continued knocking on the door, he noticed it slightly move back, the door was a crack open as Bruce furrowed his brows and slowly pushed it open, "Lois?" He called out into her home. There was no answer. Bruce looked to his left and then his right to see if there was anyone suspicious lurking around the corridor. _This is weird_, he thought, Lois never left her door open like this. Cautiously stepping in, Bruce slowly stepped into her home, walking through her hall, "Lo? It's Bruce, are you here?" Still no answer, but suddenly he heard Chris wailing from his room. Once he arrived to the living room, Bruce's breath caught in his throat, chairs were thrown around, a lamp was pulled out of its plug, lying on the floor, and shattered pieces of a plate scattering from the kitchen.

There were signs struggle here. Bruce's breathing hitched once he saw the shattered glass of the coffee table. Bending down, he slowly picked up a shard, and noticed there was blood on it, staining the carpet as well. Bruce's eyes widened as he looked around the place, something happened... and Lois was missing. The curtain was ripped off its rod as it laid on the floor, his heart raced as fear took over to what had happened to Lois, and who did this as he stood in the middle of the den, looking around the catastrophe. Bruce stood stiff and it wasn't until he heard the baby's cries again did he snap out of it, running into the room, to see Chris jumping up and down from his crib, tears streaming down his face, flushed cheeks as he sobbed endlessly, his screams piercing through the room. Bruce's heart ached at the scene as he rushed to pick Chris up in his arms and hug him close as Chris nestled his head in his neck, sobbing against him, crying for his mommy. Bruce stroked the back of his head, panic arising in him as he swallowed hard, "It's okay Chris. I'm here, shhh you're okay. I'm gonna find mommy. Don't worry, I'll find her." He whispered, choking back his own tears as fear quenched his chest. He walked back to take in the scene looking in every room to see if Lois was there, and froze as he spotted a knife lying behind the couch, covered in blood. With that, Bruce rushed out the door and headed to Watchtower, trying to keep calm as Chris continued to wail in his arms for his mother, sensing Bruce's distress.

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><p>Lois slowly regained consciousness, as she opened her eyes, and closing them, but opening them once against, squinting against the dim light. Once her vision became clear, she realized her wrists were chained together above her head as she was suspended 20 feet in the air. Lois' breathing eradicated as she looked down to seen her ankles chained and an electric chord circled around her legs and the end of it hung just above a giant glass tank full of water right under her. Lois' arms felt like they were going to be ripped out of her body as she hung above the tank. She looked around, realizing she was in a giant, dark warehouse. Lois struggled against the chain holding her wrists. She screamed out, trying to break free, feeling pain at the same time piercing the back of her head.<p>

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lois froze and looked around, watching a man in a dark coat walking towards a remote panel, his back turned to her as he fidgeted with the volts and ammeter on a control panel. Lois squinted at him, trying to get a clear vision of him, "If you manage to get your wrists free... which you won't, you'll fall right into the pool which is filled with charged electric currents. You fall in, and you'll make my job easier Lois Lane. But I want us to have some fun."

Lois blinked, as he turned around, Lois widened her eyes, recognizing his face before he knocked her unconscious in her apartment, "Michael..." She breathed out as his mouth formed into a grin. She shook her wrists, trying to break free, "Where the hell am I?!"

Michael smirked, "You know the rest of the girls didn't whine as much as you... but at the same time, they were too high to even try." He went back to his work, fixing up some wires on the panel, "I didn't drug you so you can feel everything before I kill you. You've been a nuisance Lois Lane. Quite the reporter too, I've read all your articles, especially the one where you described me as a psychotic killer with animalistic instincts." He turned to give her a steely glare, "Now that wasn't very nice of you. Animals rip their victims to pieces... I make sure there isn't a single scratch on mine. So they feel all their pain inside... like all the pain I've had to deal with." He said through his teeth.

Lois huffed, "I'd be lying if I told them you were a care bear."

Michael chuckled under his breath, "I wouldn't be so sure of that, I was caring enough to make sure the women stayed flawless on the outside when they died."

Lois gritted her teeth, "Let. Me. Go."

"Unfortunately I can't do that Ms. Lane. You see, you've gotten way too far into my life. Exploiting what I looked like, my past... it was only fair for me to get rid of you, but I was nice. Instead of killing you, I sent you a little message when I killed that reporter friend of yours."

Lois felt stiff as her forehead creased, "It was you." She breathed out, in shock. She had been wrong. It was never Clark. He was telling her the truth... and she didn't believe him. Anger fuelled inside of her, "YOU KILLED ANDY! WHY?! WHAT DID SHE DO TO YOU?!" She exclaimed, kicking and screaming.

Michael shrugged, "Isn't it obvious." He scoffed, "You reporters never see the line before you cross it. I was just minding my own business, when Andy was snooping around my house. My only sanctuary where I could be on my own without anyone knowing about my history that Louise plastered all over the news. Once she took my hardware, I knew she was getting too close to figuring out who I was, so I did some investigating myself. Play you both at your own little game. So this is how much I've found out about you two. You see, she was following your investigation, probably trying to take credit for it." He spoke in a calm, eerie tone, "So I made sure she would never snoop again, she would never get the chance to steal my property again." He turned back to face her, "I watched you too Lois. You're the one who started this whole story... so I watched you in your home, monitored you to make sure you weren't catching up to my trail... and if you did I'd be forced to get rid of you." Lois froze in place, her eyes widened at him, "Your son's quite the handsome one. He'll be a heartbreaker when he's older with those blue eyes. And his father, I'm guessing you two aren't on the best of terms if you don't even sleep in the same bed together... and he doesn't ever step outside? Curious Lois, why does Clark Kent have a death certificate if he's still alive and well?" Lois' eyes widened. He did his research... too well. When she didn't answer him, he smirked back at her, while Lois was trembling in anger at this moment, "I really don't care at this point, but I couldn't help but notice how similar he looked to me, almost the same height, dark hair, and then it hit me." He said, pointing a finger up, "It was the best way I could send the message out to you. And when I saw those two at the bar together that night" He laughed to himself, "It was just too easy! Like fate had my plan handed out to me on a platter! After they had their alone time... I guess it didn't sit well your husband's been cheating on you while you were at home playing house... so I guess I did you a favor didn't I? It was simple really, wait till he was done f*cking her and left her apartment, and five minutes later I killed her. Now the police have a clear description on who to find... and it's not gonna be me." He grinned, "In fact I just saw the news and they had a drawn out description given by one of the neighbors who saw him that night. I gotta say that artist was spot on with Clark's face." He continued to grin widely, impressed with himself.

Lois shook her head, "You framed him..." She breathed out.

He began to laugh to himself, "I wanted to send you a message that that's what will happen if you didn't back off of this story. But you didn't back off, no. You decided to continue with your little investigation... you sent your sidekick Jimmy Olsen to the club, and he found out everything... so I got pissed... and here we are! Just like Andy... and just like Louise." He said through his teeth, as Lois shot him a death glare.

"Screw you! You son of a bitch!" She yelled out.

Scoffing, Michael turned to the panel, "You kiss your son with that mouth?" He smirked, "I guess it doesn't matter now, he won't see his mommy ever again. And his daddy will be behind bars for murder soon enough." He turned to face her, wearing a steely glare, "You have no one to blame but yourself Lois. You got in the way. You should've let it go! And now look where you got yourself! I was going along with everything fine before you and that pest Andy stuck your noses in my business! You're no different from Louise... that bitch stole my life from me."

Lois huffed out angrily, "Yeah well thanks to her and Andy I now know your true identity and I promise you, you won't get away with this!"

"You're so naive, thinking you're going to be saved from this. You really think you're in a position to threaten me being suspended over electrically charged currents? Open your eyes kiddo, there's no one coming for you. Your son's going to be placed in a bunch of foster homes, unwanted, unloved, with a dead mother and a dead beat killer father. What do you have to say about that?"

Lois raised her head high and stared him down, speaking in a bitter tone, "F*ck you and the horse you rode on." Michael smirked and turned up the amplitude. Suddenly, Lois felt the chains lower her into the pool, as the wires wrapped around her legs touched the water, her body jerked as an electric shock ran through her. Lois' jaw clamped together, as she squeezed her eyes shut as her body seized against the electricity, pain shooting up and down her body. Michael switched off the knob as the chain raised her from the water. Lois' head hung low as she panted, sweat running down her forehead.

"Had enough?" Michael said.

Lois slowly raised her head up to face him and a sly grin spread across her face while she panted, shaking her hair away from her face, "Is that all you got?" Michael glared at her as Lois chuckled breathlessly. Turning the amp higher, her turned the knob back on as a stronger voltage went through her body, Lois ground her teeth together, causing her to shake rapidly, unable to take it anymore, Lois let out a piercing scream which shot through the entire warehouse. She kept screaming through her teeth, as excruciating pain seized through her.

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><p><em>Watchtower<em>

Clark remained seated in the dark room, with his head hung low, closing his eyes as there was an ache in his chest. The image of Lois never left his mind. How could she not believe him? After everything they had gone through, how could she think he would murder Andy?! He sighed in defeat, he was a monster, why wouldn't she think that way. It was his natural instinct, to be a killer. But he didn't do it... how could Andy have died the night she met him? Clark furrowed his brows as he thought for a long time, replaying that night over and over again. He had that weird feeling that he was being followed that night when he left the bar with Andy. He brushed it off thinking it was just the booze talking and that no one was following him. But what if someone was? What if someone was actually trying to frame him for Andy's murder? But who could it be? No one knows he even exists in this world other than the League. Who could want revenge on Clark Luthor... or rather Clark Kent? His eyes widened, someone must've seen him that night and thought he was Clark Kent. An enemy of Clark Kent could've framed him. But who? And why? Clark Kent wouldn't have any enemies would he?

Clark stood up, taking a deep breath as he slowly walked around the dark room. Lois said Kent was a mild mannered reporter, he didn't have any enemies apart from his alter ego. Clark blinked, could it be an enemy of his alter ego? Superman? He winced at the thought of Superman... his inner enemy. He huffed, pushing those thoughts away as he tried to piece this together. It was late at night, if anyone wanted revenge on him they would attack him, not Andy. Why would anyone kill Andy and try to frame him? What connection would he have to Andy. He thought for a moment and then it hit him like a bolt of lightning, as he froze in place. Lois. The one thing him and Andy had in common was that they both had a connection to Lois! Clark furrowed his brows as he sat back down, could the real murderer be targeting Lois?! His eyes widened as he tried to think to why anyone would target Lois Lane. Clark Kent might not have any enemies, but Lois Lane most certainly does. His lips parted as he remembered telling her she'd be a walking target if she stuck her head into Morgan Edge's relations. She was trying to question Edge about her serial killer case. Clark's face slowly tightened, the serial killer... the Metropolis serial killer. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard the Watchtower doors burst open as he listened in through the walls. He heard Bruce in a shaky tone, "She's gone!"

"Who?" Oliver asked raising his brow as Bruce put Chris in Kara's arms as the little boy cried endlessly while Kara patted his back in comfort.

Bruce paced back and forth, "LOIS! She's gone! Someone took her!" He ran his fingers through his hair, heart rate increased as his breathing eradicated.

Chloe stepped towards Bruce, "You need to calm down." She stopped him from pacing around as he faced her, looking her straight in the eye, as she grabbed his shoulders, "What happened to Lois?"

Bruce shook his head, "I just went to her apartment and the door was left opened and I walked in and... she's gone. Someone took her! W-we left her all alone, no one bothered to keep her safe and now someone took her!"

"Wait how do you know this?!" Oliver exclaimed.

Bruce huffed, "There were signs of struggle, furniture was everywhere, her coffee table was shattered and there was blood on the floor. Chris was in his crib when I found him. Someone took Lois, and left Chris there! I found a knife with blood on it... she could be seriously hurt"

Clark's eyes widened, hearing all of this, he stood up and swung the doors open. Everyone turned to look back at the bursting doors as Clark as he and Bruce stared each other down. Walking towards him, Clark asked will full concern, "What happened to her?!"

Bruce gritted his teeth at him, grabbing him by the collar, "What did you do?! She was kidnapped a DAY after we took you away! What did you do?!" He grabbed him by the collar and shoved him, to which Clark shoved back.

"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING! I WOULD NEVER HURT HER! YOU SHOULD'VE KEPT AN EYE ON HER! WHERE IS SHE!" He exclaimed in Bruce's face.

"I don't believe you for a second! You betray her trust you leave her apartment and murder her co-worker and now that we took you back here, SHE'S missing!" He grabbed Clark by the collar again, "What did you do?! Order some thugs to take her and blackmail us into letting you go!"

Clark raised his fist in the air and swung at Bruce, who's head flung to the side from the impact, "I would never do that to her! You're pointing the finger at the wrong person and wasting time!" He turned to face the group, ignoring Bruce completely, "You have to let me find her." He huffed, while Bruce wiped the blood coming out of his mouth.

Oliver raised his brow, "No! Everywhere you go there's chaos that comes with it! You're not leaving this place, you broke the rules and are a potential suspect for murder-"

"I DIDN'T DO IT! I swear! Lois is missing and I bet you anything it's the same guy who killed that girl Andy and the rest of the girls! It's that serial killer! I can find her I know it!"

"And how do you figure that?" Tess asked, crossing her arms.

Clark sighed, closing his eyes, before opening them again, looking down at his hand that wore the blue k ring, "Take off the ring-"

"NO!" Tess protested.

"JUST LISTEN!" Clark's voice boomed through Watchtower, and everyone stayed silent, except for Chris, who cried against Kara's shoulder. Clark sighed as he looked back at the baby, and then back to the group, "Take off the ring, I'll go find her and then you can do whatever you want with me just please..." He pleaded, for the first time in his life, "Let me find her before it's too late." He said, his heart breaking at the idea of something happening to Lois.

Chloe looked up at Oliver, who shook his head, "I won't take that risk, I made a promise that if you screw with us once you're done. Kara has the same powers as you, what makes you think you can find her? For all we know you're just screwing with us just to get your powers back. Bruce could be right and you did order people to take her and manipulate us into giving you your powers back."

Clark stared at Oliver for a long moment, and then his eyes went to Chris, who stared back at him with tear filling his baby blue eyes, he couldn't stop crying no matter how much Kara tried to soothe him. Chris spotted Clark a few feet away, leaning away from Kara, he extended his small arms towards him. Without hesitation, ignoring Oliver, Clark went over to Kara and grabbed Chris out of her arms. Kara stared back at the rest of the group who looked in surprise as Clark held Chris close to his body, gently stroking his back, pressing his lips against the top of his head, rocking him back and forth while he continued to cry for his mother. They were surprised to see that Chris had stopped crying after a while in Clark's arms. Clark closed his eyes, gently soothing her son, holding him as close as he can, feeling the warmth emanating out of him. Brushing his lips against the top of his head, Clark whispered softly, "It's okay buddy, I got you." Stroking his hand up and down his back, Clark felt Chris relax against him, nestling his face into the crook of his neck, hiccupping through his breaths, as his tears stained his cheeks, leaving his face flushed. Clark closed his eyes as he held Chris tightly. After a few moments of silence, Clark looked up at Chloe, and then to Oliver, "Just give me a chance. I can find her." He said in a pleading tone.

Chloe and Oliver looked at one another, and then to Kara, Bruce and Tess, Oliver sighed as he turned back to Clark, "I'm sorry Clark, but you lost our trust from the moment you betrayed Lois' trust. You left her home when we specifically told you not to, and then someone you crossed paths with that night coincidently dies." He shook his head firmly, "I'm not taking that risk. You searching for Lois with your powers is no different from Kara searching for her... The answer's no."

Clark's lips parted, stunned that no one trusted him. Chloe stared back at Clark, feeling sympathetic for a moment before turning to Kara, "Can you see if you can find her? Maybe hear her voice anywhere?" Kara nodded as Chloe continued, "I'll see if I can trace her cell phone, or maybe look through the surveillance cameras around the city to see if she's been spotted." Chleo raced to her computer.

As Kara turned away, she felt Clark grab her arm as he turned her to face him. Kara frowned at him, glaring back, but surprised when she saw vulnerability in his face, he looked utterly broken.

She blinked at him, waiting for him to speak in a quiet tone so the others couldn't hear, "Please Kara. I'm begging you... this isn't about me, this is Lois we're talking about... I don't want anything to happen to her... I can't just sit here when she could end up like Andy did..." Kara tilted her head at him, as she saw his eyes glistening, seeing actual human emotions in him for the first time. HIs eyes were filled with tears.

Looking back at the group, she noticed they couldn't hear them, "How do you expect to find her Clark..."

"Can you hear her voice?" Kara furrowed her brows at him, Clark leaned in closer, "Kara... can you honestly tell me you can hear Lois right now. That you know where she is?"

Kara's eyes fluttered as she had a distant look, Clark waited for a moment when her eyes met his, his heart sank when he saw her conflicted look, "I-I can't... I don't hear her..."

Clark sighed, fighting back the tears in his eyes and the sudden pain shooting through his chest, instinctively hugging Chris closer to him, kissing his forehead, "Trust me Kara... In my world, when I want to find somebody, I can find them, no matter what." Kara opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out, suddenly conflicted with herself. The look on his face gave her security that ensured her that she could trust him.

Swallowing hard, Kara spoke in a slight mumbling breath between her lips quickly as she barely made a sound, but weirdly, Clark was able to hear it clearly in his ears, "You call for me once you find her." Clark furrowed his brows, as his eyes widened when his finger suddenly became lighter. He looked down at the hand that grasped Kara's arm, as his finger was now bare. He saw Kara's hand in a tight fist, and suddenly, he was able to see right through her hand, with his x-ray vision. His eyes widened at the sudden rise in his powers, feeling a jolt of energy rush through his as his powers returned. He looked back up at Kara and nodded. Clearing his throat, Clark carried Chris onto the couch and sat him down, Clark knelt down in front of him, stroking his dark hair, giving him a warm smile, "I'm gonna find your mom Chris. I promise I'll bring her back to you." Chris continued to sniffle as Clark held his tiny hand into his large ones as he closed his eyes and shut off the sounds of the entire world passing by him. Every single noise was a blur until he focused on the one sound he needed. He sighed a breath of relief as he heard it. Her heartbeat, but it was speeding faster and faster... furrowing his brow he stood up, letting go of Chris' hand and looked at Kara, swallowing hard as she nodded back at him.

Bruce, noticing the exchange took a step towards where Clark and Chris were, "Kara..." He kept his eyes on Clark, "What did you do..." He breathed out.

Kara's eyes went to her hand holding the ring, and then she lifted her head to face the group, "Don't worry, we can trust him... I believe him."

Oliver's eyes widened as he comprehended what she said, rushing towards them he yelled out, "NO!" But he was gone in a flash as a strong wind whooshed past them. Clark Luthor was gone.

Bruce huffed, his eyes widened at what had just happened, "Shit!" Suddenly he heard his phone ring, and saw that Jimmy was calling, he had missed at least 15 messages from him. Furrowing his brows, he answered the phone, putting it on speaker for the group to listen.

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><p><strong>To be Continued;)<strong>


	33. I'm in Here

Sorry this is kind of a short chapterr but I promisee the next one will bee longg and intensee;)

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><p><strong>C<strong>**hapter 33: I'm in Here- Sia**

_**Can you hear my call? Are you coming to get me now? I've been waiting for you to come rescue me. I need you to hold, all of the sadness I can not... Live with inside me.**_

Lois was left panting, gasping for every breath as she tried to recover from the jolts of electricity that struck through her. Her head hung low, she was too weak to lift it up anymore. Michael took off his black gloves and turned to face Lois with a smirk on his face, "And that wasn't even the worst of it." He looked down at his watch, "I'm impressed Ms. Lane. You've managed to hold out this long without once begging for mercy."

Lois clenched her teeth together, "Is that what the rush is all about..." She panted out, "Getting your victims to scream in agony and beg..." She breathed out the last word with much effort. Michael didn't answer as he turned away, "Why did you do it Michael..." He stopped in his place as he listened, "Why kill these women... You killed Andy as a warning bell to me. Were the others all about revenge? I know about Louise... what she did to you. She broke your heart didn't she? She used you... and so you decided to kill her and everyone else who was involved... what about Vanessa Jenson? The Met U student... why'd you kill her?" She breathed out.

Michael turned back to face her with a sneer, "Louise was nothing but a heartless bitch who only used me for a job at the Daily Planet. She was nothing but a tabloid reporter for the Inquisitor and when she met me she saw an opportunity to seduce me, and use all my trust against me just to get that Daily Planet job... she got what she deserved. And so did the rest of them." He shook his head at her, "You have no idea what I've been through in prison. What they did to me, and IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF THEM! Louise, Christina McWaters, Quinn Weitzman... those women ruined my life, and when I got out of prison I had no badge, no respect, no support, nothing. My life meant nothing to no one and that was all cause of them. Screw them all! I was patient enough to wait all these years to give them what they deserved and I made sure they suffered as much as I have for the past 3 years." He huffed in pain, "I was going to ask her to marry me... and then she threw me away like a piece of trash." He said through his teeth.

Lois huffed, "And all of this... you spent your freedom making a torturing chamber in this warehouse to seek revenge? How does Vanessa fit into the story? For all I know she had no idea who Louise was."

He said through his teeth, "She was just some bitch who pissed me off one night so I got rid of her too. I was having a real bad night." He clenched his jaw.

Lois felt herself tremble, she couldn't feel her arms anymore, they could fall off their socket any minute and she wouldn't feel it. Her wrists were bloodshot red bounded by the chains, and her legs were numb, simply dangling above the pool, ready to be dropped. She couldn't feel her body, but she was sincerely trembling at this point, "Y-you killed her cause she pissed you off for no reason... she was just a random kill... what the hell is wrong with you?! She was just a young girl..." She said in a weak tone.

Michael rolled his eyes and went back to the panel, "It doesn't matter now Lois, you'll just be another one, and I'm very curious to see how long you can stay in the water till your heart gives in to the amps." He turned and pursed his lips, "Don't worry, I thought about it, and I think I'll take care of your son while you're buried in your grave and his daddy's rotting in jail... maybe I'll even teach him a thing or two about not being nosy like his mommy... show him how she turned out. Maybe even tell him how his parents didn't love him enough to stay in his life. Hell you two didn't even love each other enough for your husband not to cheat."

Lois' anger fuelled in her as she yelled out, "YOU SICK SON OF A BITCH I'M GONNA KILL YOU! I'LL KILL YOU! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH MY SON!" She screamed at the top of her lungs as Michael ignored her.

"Well that's the last I'll be hearing of you. Goodbye Lois Lane." He said as he reached for the lever and pulled it down. Lois' head shot up as she watched the chains loosen, and she squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of nothing but her son as a single tear fell down her cheek.

At the exact moment Michael was about to pull the lever, the doors burst off its hinges as it flew to the opposite side of the warehouse. Michael's eyes widened as he ducked for cover, seeing a dark figure burst in. Clark Luthor's eyes widened as he saw Lois ready to be dunked in a water tank charged with electrical volts. He was about to speed towards her when he felt a surge of pain in the pit of his stomach as he stumbled back.

"Lois!" He hissed under his breath.

He turned to x-ray the area and saw the panel had electrical wiring lined with Kryptonite. Using his heat vision, Clark destroyed the panel as it blew up. The electrical wiring had been broken as the pool was no longer charged with currents and he could no longer feel the effects of the Kryptonite. Clark looked around to see Michael nowhere to be found. Suddenly the room went dark, and beams of blue light hanging from the ceiling had turned on. Clark paid no attention to that as he was about to run to Lois, realizing he didn't have his powers anymore. Furrowing his brows, Clark looked up to see the blue light bulbs were blue kryptonite. Clark swore under his breath. Was there anything that didn't have kryptonite in it?! He couldn't catch a break! As he was about to head towards Lois and try to free her. Suddenly he felt something hit him in the back of his head. Clark stumbled to the floor, his vision blurred as he looked up to see Michael holding a baseball bat, while holding the back of his head. Michael huffed out, "I don't know how the hell you found me but your attempt to save your wife failed." He swung the bat over his shoulder and brought it down with force. Clark rolled out of the way as the bat hit the ground. Clark stood up, ready to fight him.

"You let her go and I'll give you a quick and painless death."

Michael laughed loudly, "Sorry, not interested. I plan on being the one to live through this. This is what she gets for being just another reporter out to ruin my life." He swung the bat towards Clark as he dodged every swing. At one point, Clark grabbed the bat and pulled it against him as they fought against each other, Clark grabbed the back of his neck and forced it down as he kneed his face. Clark pushed Michael against the panel as his back pushed the lever. Clark froze in place when he realized what had happened and turned to see Lois yell out as she dropped into the pool, being submerged in the water as her legs were still bound by the chains.

"LOIS!" He exclaimed.

Michael shook his head as he saw her trying to swim to the surface in the tank, "What the hell? My currents are jammed! Why isn't she getting shocked?!"Clark tried to run towards the tank when Michael got him in a headlock. Clark took his wrist and twisted it back as Michael scream in pain. He turned back to face Michael and punched him, grabbing his collar and bringing him to the ground, wrapping his hands around his neck.

Lois was submerged in the water. She tried to swim to the surface, but the chain that was now wrapped around her leg kept pulling her down, unable to come up. She tried untangling herself from the chain, pulling and pulling but it was tightly secured around her legs. She opened her mouth to scream but she forgot she was underwater as her lungs were filling up. Struggling, Lois banged against the glass wall of the tank, trying to crack it open. In desperation she continued to swim upwards, she couldn't breathe. Fear took over as she continued to swim but it was no use, she wasn't going anywhere. Screaming underwater, Lois banged against the glass as hard as she could.

Clark continued to strangle Michael when he heard a banging noise. Turning around he saw Lois struggling to breathe underwater, banging her fist against the glass, trying to get out. "Lois..." He breathed out. Forgetting about Michael, Clark picked up the bat off the floor and ran towards the pool, urging Lois to get back. Using all his human force, Clark hit the bat against the glass, trying to break it open, "COME ON!" He spat out in frustration. Huffing out he looked around, running his fingers through his hair in frustration. Spotting a gun by the panel he ran towards it and pointed it to the tank, making sure Lois wasn't in the line of fire he shot multiple times at the tank... and it did nothing. Clark's eyes widened. A bulletproof tank. Running his fingers through his hair in desperation he approached Michael lying on the ground, trying to catch his breath. Clark raised the bat and swung it at Michael's shin as he screamed out in agony, "How do I turn off these blue lights?!" Michael looked up at Clark in confusion as he panted. Clark knelt down and punched him in the face over and over again, until he took the gun and pressed it against his forehead, "ANSWER ME!"

Coughing up blood, Michael breathed out, "Red... switch... by the doors." He gasped as he choked on his blood. Clark stood up, looking around the warehouse until he spotted a red switch by the door on the opposite side. Running towards the switch, he took a chance and pulled it down. The blue lights turned off and the room was dimly lit. Clark felt his powers coming back, and turned to see Michael take the gun Clark left on the ground, pointing it towards him. As he pulled the trigger, the bullet bounced off of Clark.

Michael's eyes widened in shock, "Wh-" He choked out, with blood running down his face.

Clark super sped towards him and in one motion, took Michael's head and with one twist, _*snap!* _and he fell to the floor, lying limp. Clark looked down at him, feeling no remorse, looking down at him with cold eyes, breathing heavily, feeling the satisfaction of killing this sick bastard. Swallowing hard, Clark looked up, and spotted Lois in the pool, unconsciously floating in the water. His eyes widened as he snapped back into reality. "No" He hissed as he sped towards the pool and pulled his hand back and punched the glass, making it shatter as all the water thrust out. He caught Lois in his arms as she fell out while the warehouse was filled with water. Clark gently laid her on the ground, brushing her wet hair out of her face, "Lois..." He gently shook her face, "Lois can you hear me? Answer me Lois!" She continued to lay limp, panic struck as Clark broke the chains off her leg and began to perform CPR on her, "Come on Lois! Come on, come back to me! Don't you dare leave me!" At that moment, Kara, Oliver, and Bruce burst through the doors and they came to a halt as they took in the scene before them. They all looked back at Clark wide eyed. Bruce turned to see a body laying a couple feet from them. Walking past them he leaned down to see it was the same guy whose picture Jimmy sent them, Michael James Sanders. They had his face traced through city surveillance, this was the serial killer. He brought two fingers to feel his pulse, but felt nothing. He turned back to Oliver and shook his head. Oliver continued to stare back at Lois laying unconscious... his eyes widened as he realized she wasn't waking up while Clark continued to do CPR, "Come on Lois breathe! FIGHT LOIS! COME ON PLEASE! PLEASE!" He pleaded with a shaky tone, ready to burst into tears. It had been well over 7 minutes and she wasn't breathing. Kara shook her head as she walked towards Clark, kneeling next to him.

"Clark..." She put her hand on his shoulder, but Clark roughly pushed her away as he continued.

Oliver stood frozen in place, holding his breath, hoping for a miracle, while Bruce had turned away, wincing while he heard Clark pleaded for her to wake up. "COME BACK! LOIS COME BACK!" Tears stung his eyes as Clark struggled to bring her back to life.


	34. Things To Tell

**Chapter 34: Things to Tell-Rie Sinclair**

_**I need you, I need us, and to believe in love. I need truth and not just the hard answer. I need to, I need to tell you things I'm afraid to. So don't leave me flying in the distance measuring time isn't right. The cause and effect of what you did when you walked in my life. I wonder if your wounds will heal mine, but just in case I'm in need of a little time, I need you, I need us and to believe in love. I need truth, and not just the hard answer. I need to, I need to tell you things I'm afraid to.**_

"Don't you dare die on me you hear me! Don't take the easy way out I'll never forgive you!" He continued to do compressions on her chest and suddenly her body jerked up as she coughed out water and continued coughing vigorously. Clark's eyes widened and everyone else breathed in a sigh of relief once they heard her cough. Clark supported her head while Lois coughed to the side, gasping for air, holding her chest as she choked until her breathing became normal while spitting water out of her mouth, "Lois! ... it's okay just breathe... you're okay." He said softly. Suddenly he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her close to his chest for dear life, choking back as he held her, feeling her wrap her arms tightly around his neck, listening to her lively heartbeat.

"C-Clark..." She breathed out as she looked up at him, "Where's Chris..."

"He's okay... he's safe don't worry. He didn't hurt him."

Lois clutched her chest with relief as she struggled to pace her breathing, "What happened to Michael..."

Clark looked back at her, and then up at Oliver and Bruce. It was Oliver who spoke up, "He's not gonna hurt anyone ever again Lois. Clark saved your life." Oliver stared back at Clark, nodding with a look of gratitude.

He nodded back as he hugged Lois once again, as he let relief take over, closing his eyes as she buried her face in his shoulder, "I'm so happy you're okay." He whispered.

Lois pulled back, "Clark..." She placed her hand against his cheek, "I'm so sorry..." Her bottom lip trembled as he pulled her into his embrace again without another word.

"We should get you to a hospital Lois." Bruce spoke up with concern and relief etched in his voice, thankful he didn't lose her, "To make sure you're okay."

She shook her head, "I'm fine... I'm okay..."

"Lois you've gone through so much we have to make sure you're not internally bleeding or have any chance of any other injuries-" Kara said.

"I said I'm fine if you want you can just x-ray me I'm not going to a hospital... just take me to my son... I need to see him." Clark tightened his grip on her as he heard her stern tone, her stubbornness making him happy to hear coming out of her, thankful he didn't lose her.

"Let's go then." He slowly helped her back up on her feet. Lois leaned against him for support while he wrapped his arm around her waist. Bruce blocked their path.

"You can't just go to Watchtower Lois, we need to make sure you're okay. You've been shocked we need to make sure there are no future risks of what it'll do to you..." They all heard sirens coming from outside the warehouse, "Jimmy called the cops when we found out where you were. They're going to want you to give them a statement then we're taking you to the hospital... but first we need to do some damage control here, and make up a story." Lois furrowed her brows in confusion and followed everyone's view to see Michael's dead body on the ground. Her lips parted as she stared down at his limp body, then turned back to nod at Bruce without question.

"I'll give the police my statement but it's gonna be useless going to a hospital."

Oliver spoke up, "Bruce is right Lo, you must be in a lot of pain after everything that happened." He gently stroked her arm.

"Oliver... please... I'm fine." She said in a tired tone, as she looked like she was going to pass out when Clark held her up, supporting all her weight on him.

Clark looked at her with worry, "Lois just listen to them, you're going to the hospital, you have a concussion and a severe cut on the back of your head, let the doctors check you out first... and then we'll take you to Watchtower." Lois shook her head at him.

"_We'll_ take her to the hospital, you should head back." Bruce suggested to Clark in a calm manner.

Clark glared back at him, "I'm not leaving her."

Bruce narrowed his eyes at his tone, "I'm not asking you again. Your face shouldn't be shown in public. The police will ask you questions about what happened around here we can't have you on their radar as a suspect since they're already looking for someone that matches your exact description." Clark sighed in defeat. He looked back at Lois, as she nodded to him.

As they were about to leave, Clark turned to Kara, "Thank you..."

Kara raised her brows at him and squeezed his arm, whispering, "Thank you." In sincerity. With that, Clark left Lois to stay behind with Bruce and Kara while he went back to Watchtower, where he waited for her.

* * *

><p><em>The Next Day<em>

Clark stood on the rooftop of Metropolis General Hospital, listening intently to the doctors, who were letting Lois know she was fit to go home later that evening. He smiled when he heard her mumbling under her breath, _"It's about damn time!"_ He had been there all night, watching over her, making sure he wouldn't get caught as he snuck into her room to watch her sleep last night, making sure she was safe. As she finished signing the discharge papers, Bruce walked in, handing her a bag of clothes to change in. As soon as she was done, Bruce helped her out of the hospital and into his car as they sped off. All Clark could hear as they drove off was Lois constantly asking Bruce about her son. Taking a deep breath, Clark sped back to Watchtower, where Chloe was holding Chris in her arms, feeding him some mashed vegetables as she smiled back at him. Once she noticed Clark was back she grinned.

"I take it she's on her way?" Clark nodded, as his eyes were glued to the little boy looking up at him with a smile. Clark gently stroked his head, smiling down at him while Chris grinned back, which made his food run down his chin.

Chloe chuckled as she wiped his face with a napkin and smiled up at Clark, "Thank you again so much Clark... you saved my cousin's life. I don't know how to repay you."

Clark shrugged without looking at her, keeping his eyes on the little boy, "Well the fact that you're letting me keep my powers and not locking me up is good enough for me."

After around 20 minutes, the elevators opened up again, "Lois!" Chloe exclaimed as she ran towards her cousin, wrapping her in a tight hug. Lois hugged her back just as tightly, "I'm so happy you're okay!" She said through happy tears.

Lois looked back at Chloe, "I was at the stupid hospital all night I'm so glad I'm out of that hellhole."

Chloe looked back at her, "Is everything okay?" Knowing there was nothing her cousin hated more than hospitals, and even though she seemed fine, Chloe was still concerned for her.

Lois sighed, patting her head, "They kept me overnight for observations, I had to get stitches on my head, got x-rayed for any broken ribs, CT scan, and a whole bunch of other tests done on me and you know what they found? Nothing. No severe burns, no risks of cardiac arrest, nothing. I got first aid and I was stuck in that hospital for over 14 hours." She huffed in frustration, rubbing her eyes.

Bruce chuckled, "It didn't help that she tried sneaking out of the hospital four times last night." Lois narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head.

"The police questioned me and I told them everything that happened, and told them Michael Sanders was the one who killed all those girls and Andy. Jimmy came by and handed the evidence over to the police." Her eyes met his, as she said softly, "I'm just happy this is all over..." She looked back at Bruce, then Clark, and she directed her question to Chloe, "How did you find me by the way?"

Chloe raised her brow and turned to Clark, "Kara took off Clark's ring and he found a way to trace you... and Jimmy called up right after he left and told us that he stayed on the line listening the entire time while Michael took you. He called Bruce to let him know what he heard, and knowing his resources..."

"And by resources he meant you..." Lois concluded.

Nodding Chloe continued, "He sent us a picture of Michael and I used the face recognition system to trace his whereabouts using security footage, hacking into the mainframe I found a video camera outside the warehouse he took you to and Kara, Ollie, and Bruce went to find you." She looked back at Clark, "But he found you before we did..."

Lois nodded, swallowing hard, "I'm just glad the nightmare is over now..."

"What happened to Michael Sanders?" Chloe wondered.

No one answered for a long time before Clark simply replied, "He's dead." Chloe's eyes flashed to Lois, who looked down. Chloe nodded in understanding to Clark, as there was an awkward silence among the four.

"Where's Christopher?" Lois asked with eagerness.

Chloe nodded her head to the staircase, "He's with Emil and Oliver right now."

Alarmed, Lois asked, "Is he alright? Is he hurt?!"

Chloe held her hands up, "Whoa Lois don't worry he's fine. Completely healthy, I just fed him. Oliver's just keeping him company till his mom gets back and he's upstairs helping Emil out with some things... your little boy missed you." Lois clutched her chest, a sob about to break through as she headed upstairs past everyone to where her son was, while Clark watched her. Chloe stared back at Clark, "I'm sorry Clark." He looked back down at her, "We should've trusted you wouldn't do anything to hurt Lois. Thank you again for saving her life."

Swallowing back the inner flutter in his stomach, thinking back to the moment where he was unable to resucitate Lois for a while, "I'd never hurt Lois. Next time you should use your head and not jump to conclusions without evidence." Clark scoffed at her.

A small knowing smile formed on Chloe's lips, "I know she means a lot to you... I can see by the way you treat her. It's good to see her being cared for like that." Unable to reply, Clark stayed silent while Chloe followed Lois upstairs, which left Bruce and Clark alone, staring back at each other.

Bruce gave him a steely glare as Clark smirked, shaking his head at him, "I take it you're the odd one of the bunch whose judgment hasn't changed about me?"

Bruce kept his hands behind his back, as he stepped towards Clark, "I do appreciate you saving Lois. You proved me wrong in thinking you'd hurt her. I was wrong about that..."

Clark narrowed his eyes at Bruce, "But..." He said with his arms crossed in front of him.

With a sigh, Bruce replied, "You killed Michael. You murdered him with your bare hands and I don't see you feeling any sort of remorse for that."

Clark furrowed his brows, "You're asking me why I don't feel sorry for killing the guy who tried to kill Lois? The guy who had her suspended over an electrically charged tank? The guy who almost shocked her to death, who caused her so much pain? You're wondering what kind of a person I am for killing him?!" He said in disbelief.

Bruce took another step towards him, "We have a code here Luthor. A moral. We bring those who do wrong to JUSTICE. That doesn't give us the right to have blood on our hands no matter how much pain they've caused to others. We don't have a right to determine who lives and who dies! You don't get to play God like that!"

Clark's lips parted as his eyes darkened, "Don't preach your morals on me Wayne. I don't give a sh*t about what you believe is justice. What you're saying is that you'd just put this guy in jail rather than kill him for hurting the woman you love?" Bruce blinked, taken aback, while Clark smiled, "Oh yeah, I know all about your little crush on your dead best friends wife. You don't make much effort in hiding it. You're saying that you wouldn't do the same thing I did?"

Bruce narrowed his eyes at Clark, "No. I wouldn't. This isn't justice. By killing this man you're no better than him Clark!" He said with sincerity, "Our team is about believing in the good. It's about doing what's necessary."

Clark shook his head, wiping his eyes, "See that's where you're wrong, you won't kill out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness. You see that's the difference between you and me, I don't have anything to prove like that. I'm not out to be some sort of hero." Bruce stared back at Clark as he continued, "I do what's necessary. And killing Michael is what I know is necessary to keep Lois safe. I had no choice."

Shaking his head in exasperation, Bruce responded, "I find it hard to believe you had no choice Luthor. It was you, a super powered being, against a mere human. The odds were against him and you used that to your advantage..." He shook his head, "You didn't need to murder him to save Lois. You did that to satisfy the need to exact revenge on the man who hurt the woman _you_ love." Clark's face tightened, unable to reply. "You didn't bring this serial killer to justice... you gave him the easy way out and therefore he didn't really pay for what he did to Lois did he?" Clark swallowed hard, "Clark, you could be the hero your world needs, but to protect your people, you can't take matters into your own hands like that. You can't use your powers to murder. That doesn't make you any better than the thugs who make others suffer."

Clark stared back at Bruce for a long moment before replying, "You don't know anything about me. I'm not Superman. I'm not trying to be a hero for anyone. Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't use my powers for. And if I want, I can snap your neck right now before you even think about blinking."

Smirking, Bruce replied, "I think you're fooling yourself... cause I can tell you have a natural instinct to protect people. I saw it when you found out Lois was kidnapped... and I know that look. It's a look Clark Kent has right before he went off to save the world."

Clark parted his lips as he wanted to make a retort, wanted to say something to prove him wrong, but found himself unable to say anything. Swallowing hard, Clark turned around to see Lois coming down while holding her son, kissing his face, while Oliver, Emil, and Chloe came down with her.

After a while, Lois was ready to go home, "You want me to give you a ride home?" Bruce offered. Lois turned and saw Clark standing in the background, his hands in his pockets, staring back at her with concern.

Swallowing hard, Lois replied, "I think Clark can take us back home." Clark raised his brows in surprise, Chloe and Bruce had the same look. Staring intently back at Clark, she asked, "If you don't mind... I'd like you to come home with me... it's the least I can do for saving my life." She turned to Oliver, "If that's okay with you guys too?"

Oliver turned to see Clark's expression, holding back his smile as he cleared his throat, "Well he did save your life and didn't take advantage of running off with his powers back... the least we can do is give him the choice of where he prefers to stay. You're free to stay here at Watchtower, or back with Lois. You've gained our trust Luthor..." Oliver nodded to Lois, "It's up to Clark really."

The corner of his lips twitched as Clark walked towards her, "I'd like that." Lois nodded back at him.

"I'll call you tomorrow Chloe." Kissing her cheek, Lois said goodbye to Oliver and Emil who told her to take it easy.

"Don't get into any more trouble Lois. You got all our work cut out for us." Oliver joked while Lois rolled her eyes, turning to Chris, "Say bye to everyone, Chris." Chloe leaned in and gave her nephew a kiss as she waved bye to them, Oliver did the same, while kissing the top of Lois' head. She smiled back at Bruce in appreciation as he returned the smile, nodding back at her. Walking back towards Clark, they left Watchtower together.

* * *

><p>Once they had finally returned back home, Clark held Chris who was sleeping in his arms while Lois opened the door, gasping in shock at the damage done to her home. There was shattered glass of the coffee table everywhere, with blood on the carpet... her blood. As she took slow steps into her home, she spotted a broken lamp, broken curtain rod, broken plate. Her place was a complete mess... evidence that she almost died tonight. Lois choked back a sob as she covered her mouth with her hand, the tears stung her eyes. Clark stood behind her his eyes wide at the sight before him, realizing he almost lost her like this... and he wasn't here to protect her. He walked to Chris' room, which looked untouched, relieved nothing had happened to the little boy, Clark gently laid him in his bed, making sure not to waking him up as he fussed a bit.<p>

Clark walked back to the living room, and saw Lois standing over the broken coffee glass looking down at the blood stained carpet. She looked up at him and shook her head, with tears in her eyes, "I almost died last night..." She whispered to which Clark was able to hear.

Nodding, Clark slowly walked towards her, "You almost died last night." He stood before her, bringing his hand up to trace a cut on her forehead with his thumb.

Lois felt a shiver run down her spine as she involuntarily closed her eyes, "If you hadn't gotten there in time... I don't know where I'd be..."

He sighed, "If I didn't leave I would've been able to stop this from happening altogether."

She looked up at his broken face, witnessing the guilt etched in his blue eyes. Lois shook her head, drawing her brows together, "Don't do that... don't feel guilty... I'm the one who kicked you out... and accused you of something you didn't do... this wasn't your fault..."

Clark sighed, looking down at her wrists that were a bruised from the chains. He took her wrists in his hands, stroking them gently, "This might as well have been. It seemed so much more believable to think I murdered Andy right..." Lois swallowed hard as he traced the veins on her wrists with his thumbs, "Why did you even think I was capable of that? So much that you made an assumption... you decided I did something as bad as murdering an innocent woman. You didn't give me the benefit of the doubt." She heard the strain in his voice as he refused to look up at her.

The tears pooled in her eyes as her breathing hitched, "I don't know Clark I'm sorry... I thought it was easier to believe in the facts in front of me..."

"Easier to believe in the facts." Clark breathed out, "It was a punch in the stomach... a slap in the face, it's a knife in my back because you'd rather believe in some lie than what you knew to be true Lois." He said in a stern tone, "I don't kill innocent people and you knew that... you knew that I only give people what they deserve... never out of spite." He swallowed hard... that wasn't true and he knew it deep down. He wanted to tell her so badly, but knew if he told her, she would only look at him with disgust.

Nodding, Lois looked down at their hands, "Like with Michael..." She looked back into his baby blues, watching him swallow hard, "You killed him didn't you..." She whispered.

He looked right into her eyes, "And I don't regret it." He said in a firm tone, "I'd do it again. It was him or you and I wasn't going to lose you. I'll always choose YOU." Lois' lips parted, watching Clark take a step back, "I get it if you see me as a monster now... someone with no second thoughts about killing a man-"

Lois closed the distance between them, taking another step towards him, "You were protecting me Clark... how can I possibly hold that against you... it's enough for me to know that you did it to save my life... that you didn't just end anybody's life. This was a serial killer who was going to take me away from my son and you stopped that from happening."

Clark stared down at her hazel eyes, getting lost in them, suddenly building up the courage to shed his walls, and bare himself to her, "Is it enough to say that you make the blood in my veins so hot that I can barely touch my own skin?" She blinked, taken aback by the confession as she furrowed her brows in confusion at where that came from. Clark sighed and continued in a soft tone, that of an innocent young boy, "I almost lost you last night... I had no idea what heartbreak truly felt like until now." He swallowed hard, boring his eyes into hers, "I have never wanted another woman as much as I want you. Is it enough to say that I… that I think about your face, your eyes, your mouth and when I do, I want to stop whatever I'm doing and make love to you?" Lois' lips parted as her hazel eyes widened in surprise, as Clark looked away, looking anxious, "Lois you have no idea how much I regret everything I said to you the night I found those articles. I just... I was scared, I felt vulnerable around you and it scared me... it also made me angry. Angry that I resembled someone that I couldn't become, something that was far from the person I am now. But I knew I was changing from being here... and it was because of you... not in a bad way though Lois." Lois continued to listen intently while Clark gripped her hands in his, "There was a point where I wanted... needed power more than anything. I wanted it more than clean hands or a clean conscious... or even more than love cause... cause I thought love doesn't last, it gets taken from you, it dies, and it walks away from you when there's too much pain. I didn't wanna go through something like that, I didn't think there was someone who was worth the risk. But power's something I can keep, and hold on to, and up until now I wasn't gonna give that up for anybody... till you came into my life." Lois opened her mouth, but no words came out. Clark brushed his fingers against her cheek, "I'm so used to control. I control everything and everyone around me back in my world... I can't control this. I can't control what I feel for you. I love you Lois... and I don't know what I'd do if I lost you last night. I thought my whole world was going to fall apart when I couldn't revive you and all I could think about was how you never knew how I truly felt. I lost your trust... I disappointed you, I hurt you, I made you look at me the way the rest of the world sees me. Before that... you were the only person who's... real. You're brave enough to believe in people, you can look me in the eyes and make me feel naked, exposed, bare, defenceless... And I was scared to face that and face myself cause... I don't feel weak in the knees... you're the only one who's ever done that to me and... and... I think I'd miss you even if we never met." He swallowed hard again, looking into her eyes, he felt that vulnerability in them... that look of love, that look that she'd take a bullet for him if she had to, the look in her eyes that Clark Luthor was afraid to face. Not anymore, "I'm sorry Lois. I'm so sorry I hurt you. The only regret I have in my life is that I hurt you so much that you decided to send me away. That I was hurting you too much you couldn't deal with me anymore. And the truth is you're the first person who's put up with me for this long... and that's one of the things that made me fall for you..." Lois cupped his face in her hands which made him go quiet, "Tell me Lois... tell me you don't feel what I feel. Tell me I'm just imagining this, that this is just wishful thinking... tell me you don't want this."

They looked into each other's eyes for a long moment while Lois didn't answer him, he suddenly closed the distance, leaning in and pressed his lips against hers. What started off as a gentle kiss turned passionate as she tilted her head, parting her lips which gave him the advantage as he slipped his tongue in her mouth. His arms went around her waist as he pulled her closer against his body so there was no space between them. Lois wrapped her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his hair and at the back of his neck. They continued to kiss deeply, as Clark's fingers slightly pushed her shirt up as his fingers felt her bare skin, feeling the heat of their skin touching. Her skin felt like silk to him, how long they've waited to touch each other like this.

Lois broke the kiss by pulling away for air, leaning their foreheads against each other. Breathing heavily, Lois pulled away from Clark, walking past him, Clark followed her with his eyes as he watched her slightly open Chris' room, making sure her boy was asleep. Slowly closing the door again, Lois turned around, leaning against the door, staring back at him with a small smile on her lips. Clark walked towards her, standing before her in silence as she took his hand, and pulled him towards her room. Closing the door behind him, Clark looked around her room. He had never been in it before, so he took it in, looking around and his gaze stopped when it met hers standing in the middle of her room. Slowly heading towards her, Clark pulled her hair behind her ear as he looked down at her with so much love. Lois held her breath as he touched her. Being lost in her eyes, Clark leaned down and captured her lips with his once again, grabbing her hips, he pulled her towards him, closing the distance, as she kissed him with all she had. He turned them around and walked forward until Lois felt her back hit the wall. He plunged his tongue in her mouth, demanding entrance as Lois gave it to him. He pressed his body against hers as he kissed her hard, stroking her tongue with his. Lois pulled him towards her as he brushed his fingers against her neck. Clark picked her up off the ground as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Thrusting her hips against his pelvis, this made Clark moan against her lips. Lois moved her head to gasp for air, while Clark placed kisses on her neck, sucking on the skin as he trailed kisses up her jaw back to her lips. Putting her back on the ground, both were breathing heavily as they pulled away from each other. Clark stepped away, taking her hands in his, he pulled her towards the bed. He stared back at her, wanting to make sure she wanted to do this, "I've wanted this for so long..." he said as he felt his own heart race along with hers, feeling himself come alive. Was this really how it felt to truly be alive? If it was... he was never going to give it up.

Taking a silent deep breath, Lois curled her fingers under the hem of her shirt and pulled it off, leaving her in her bra and jeans. Clark's lips parted as he took in her body, her gorgeous slender body. Stepping towards him, Lois took his wrist, and slowly traced the 'L' shaped scar scorched into his skin with her finger. Clark held his breath as Lois brought his wrist to her lips and she kissed the scar, making the memory of the pain disappear with her lips, feeling her hot breath against him. She slowly moved her hands under his black shirt, feeling his stomach, she pulled his shirt up, while Clark never took his eyes off of her he lifted his arms to let her get his shirt off. Lois felt his chest against her hands, stroking against his skin. Leaning forward, she pressed her lips against his chest where his heart laid, feathering kisses on his skin, to which Clark grabbed her arms, and kissed her hard. He turned her around, with her back pressed against his chest, his hand roamed across her stomach to her ribs, cupping her breasts while he moved her hair across her shoulder, kissing her bare neck while Lois closed her eyes, relishing in his touch, his kiss, letting her head fall back. She turned around and took his lips in hers. Clark pushed her down on the bed as he crawled over her, kissing her stomach, up to her breasts, until his lips met hers, while they discarded the rest of their clothes and made love.

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><p><strong>Alright guys we alll know this chapter's going to cause some long awaited controversyy:P<strong>

**I have been reading all your comments of "Will they or won't theyy" and "LL/CK VS LL/CL" and trust me when i say i am NERRVOUSSS to hear your reactionss but excitedd all at the same timee;P I know you guys are very supportive on which way I go (Love you all for your awesome supportive comments!) and don't worry I still have lots of tricks and twists up my sleeve to keep you entertained;) but camawnnn you had to have seen this comingg rightt:P? this adds to the drama anddd this was going to happen no matter what I just needed to postpone it as much as possible till the right timee and this adds up to alott of other things I have planned for the rest of the story:P So go on and tell me what you think don't hold backk although i am biting my nails anticipating your reaction im still pretty excited to see what you think and I know most of you saw it comingg;) **

**Now the next chapters going to take some timee soo pleasee be patient with meee:)! Thank youuu!**


	35. Come Undone

Hey everyone I'm back from a long hiatus. I've been so busy with school and dealing with some personal issues that I didn't have the time nor the inspiration to come back to my writing. I'm officially on winter break which is such a relief I haven't slept in sooo long I finally found out what 8 hours of sleep felt like after cramming like crazy for my exams and as for my personal issues, well I'm still going through a hard time but what better way to get away from those things than being with friends and writing again That being said, I hope I haven't made you guys wait for too long I know I left the story at a crucial moment for a while there, and I have read and appreciated your honest comments and I took them all into consideration. I understand some of you are being iffy with the whole Lois and CL pairing so I just wanted to clear some things up before you read this chapter that could hopefully change your mind about the situation. And even if it doesn't change your mind and still continue reading I really appreciate that as well and thank you ALL so much for your reviews and taking the time to read my stories. Even in my hardest moments in my life I read back to your kind words and they make me smile so thank you so much for that.

Let me just go on to clear some things and hopefully create some justification for Clark Luthor and Lois here lol and I know I told you guys not to hold back on your reviews, I love the honesty !

I get everyone opinion on the whole Lois sleeping with CL I just wanted to make some pointers:

In Lois' point of view, her husband is dead and has been dead for two years and as far as Lois knows, Clark Kent is never coming back and so she finds a way to try and accept that and making life bearable to move on so for those of you who feel like she's doing something wrong, I wouldn't exactly put it that way because in Lois' world, there is no more Clark Kent in her life. And keep in mind she doesn't know what we the readers, Chloe, and J'onn know about CK;) I know for some of you it feels wrong because we KNOW that there is something else going on with Clark Kent, and seeing Lois with Clark Luthor is weird because of what we know, our knowledge is more than what Lois knows.

Now for the other reasons some of you aren't exactly okay with them because of the sole question 'Why would she sleep with him just because he looks like CK?' I just wanted to point out that Lois didn't jump into bed with CL the first chance she saw his face, and she didn't try to get romantically involved with him and if it seemed that way I'd like to say that wasn't exactly my intention I wanted it to start off with a friendship. They got to know each other and formed a bond over the time he was in her world and was heartbroken when CL tried to break that bond once he realized it existed. It's hard to overlook everything he's done in the past, but also hard to overlook the bond they created. While both lived together they both had their issues and kept a distance from each other on an emotional basis, one because of Clark's dark past and because of Lois' grief and overtime that distance became smaller as they heard each other's stories and understood one another on a deeper basis and actually talked with one another. Lois somehow knows him on a different level that in anyone else solely because CL has never shown that side of him to anyone else (Especially Tess) and somehow Lois is the one that brought that side of him. I don't want to say anything more about that because I will be writing a bit more of that in the chapter. And as for all the reviewers who are baffled with the idea of Lois sleeping with CL the serial killer, I won't say much because again I will still be going into CL's background but just wanted to remind you that CL did have a different upbringing than CK. Whenever CK's on Red K he would never think about killing someone because of his morals, and the way he was brought up. People can argue against this, I'm just saying this is what I believe from these two characters that are very different, but also similar in a sense. I wanted you to understand why CL is the way he is because of Lionel, who never taught him the difference between right and wrong, good and bad. Whereas CK had that kind of upbringing. Lionel raised CL to be a ruthless machine, but at the same time, he grew up amongst humans, and human emotions are inside of him, but have been clouded by Lionel's upbringing. Those human emotions I believe would come from his mother Lillian and his love and need to protect people like his mother from people like his father Lionel (Protecting the good from the evil). And I just wanted to put an example of CK's morality upbringing compared to CL: In the season 10 premier, when CK was on the verge of killing Lex Luthor's clone, and almost did... well Clark Kent knew better since he had the moral upbringing of his parents and Jor-El. So Jor-El was disappointed with him and shut him off, showing that what CK ALMOST did was WRONG. Clark Luthor knew nothing but what Lionel Luthor taught him, and never knew how to be the good person Jor-El wanted him to be. Lois understands this because he never had a Jonathan and Martha Kent or Jor-El. So the alternate Jor-El is what Clark would've needed to be shown the right way but never got a chance, and so he was born into a Luthor so of course he could be like Lex Luthor. I believe Lex became evil solely because of Lionel. Even though being in this world has brought out a softer side of Clark Luthor, he would still make choices that are villainous than heroic, or that of an anti hero and that's why he killed Michael Sanders, because that's the only thing he knew how to do to protect people and do them justice. This is what he believes to be justice and there have been many members of the justice league who believed the same way before, Oliver thought killing Lex in season 8 was justice but realized it was wrong because of people like Chloe and Clark Kent who showed him the right way.

I know I'm defending Clark Luthor here but I still LOVE Clark Kent all the more I just want the readers to empathize with CL, I have NO problem with CL/LL and CK/LL shippers that's what reading is all about, different interpretations and this was mine and just remember even though he's considered a 'serial killer' I'd say his victims weren't innocent people. And remember, this CL didn't kill Oliver Queen from Earth-2 like in the show so he hasn't killed anyone who didn't deserve it. I'm not saying this is what I stand by, but it's what CL believes he stands by and sees no problem with it.

Wow I am SOOO sorry for rambling on like this I said I wasn't gonna say much but... I pretty much wrote another novel hahaa if you guys read through all of this thank you very much for taking the time and if not... I get it trust me loll!

**SIDE NOTE**: RIP to all the children whose lives were taken away too soon in Newtown, Connecticut. I know this story has been brought to light more because it happened in U.S, and every day, innocent lives of children are taken away because of meaningless acts of hate, and violence around the world and I just couldn't stop thinking about it since the event happened and went through different news articles on the killings of children in different parts of the world and it is simply unthinkable and shatters my heart. Fanfiction is a community of people who want to escape from reality of a cruel world filled with cruel people and we can escape here where we can imagine that we lived in a better world, where there was a Superman that had saved those precious innocent souls.

Thank you all once again and please enjoy this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 35: Come Undone- Jackson Waters<strong>

_**There are moments I hear redemption calling, but I'm too far down to speak. There are scars that I've been hiding, There are ghosts that I do not claim. There are closets I do not care to open but they open all the same. Come sweet fire of mercy, cover up my skin. Warm me like the sun, won't you let me in. To come, come undone.**_

_The Next Morning_

The sun shone through her window, as she snuggled closer to her pillow. Realizing the pillow she was snuggling into was harder than usual, Lois slowly opened her eyes, waking up with her head laid on his bare chest, memories of last night becoming clearer as she was coming to. She brought her arm around his torso and snuggled closer to him as she felt his arm tighten around her. Lois turned her head and kissed his bare chest, letting her lips linger against his skin, kissing him again. She slowly lifted her head up to see his face inches from hers, feeling his breath on her cheek as his eyes slowly opened up. He looked down at her while the corner of his lips curved up as he stretched while keeping her in his arms as she smiled up at him.

"Morning..." He said in a faint tone.

Lois leaned up to pressed her lips softly against his, smiling against him, "Morning." She whispered.

"How'd you sleep?"

She slowly blinked, and her smile grew, "Like a baby... I thought last night was a dream..."

He kissed her forehead, "And how do you feel now that it's not?" Swallowing a bit as he felt anxiety creep in, wondering if she began to regret it, realize it was a mistake, and end up losing her all over again.

Lois buried her face in the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent as a familiar feeling came creeping back to her heart, "Relieved..." She felt his chest rise as he inhaled deeply at the revelation. They laid in silence while Lois drew circles on his bare chest with her finger.

Her words made Clark part his lips, wondering if he was going to wake up from this dream any minute now. He slowly ran his fingers up and down her bare arm, whispering shyly, "I like this... holding you..." Lois responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, lying against him to fit perfectly with his body as they both closed their eyes again. Clark laid there in utter silence, listening to her clam heartbeat in his ears. Last night had been something he had never expected would happen to him. He had been with many women in his past. And he never cared for their feelings, he simply wanted to make savage love to them and be done with them the next morning, and on to the next one. It was only lust. Lust was all he knew, all he felt. But this... Lois. He had been gentle, slow, looking into her hazel eyes the whole time as he made love to her that was simply... lovely. And now it was the next morning, the mornings he would usually eat breakfast alone while the other women rushed to get out of his sight. Clark closed his eyes as he tightened his arms around the woman who had found a place in his heart he could call home. She was his home... and there couldn't possibly be another woman after her. Not ever.

They had finally built up the energy to get up out of bed and head towards the living room. Clark checked up on Chris, who was still sleeping heavily, leaving the door open, he headed towards the living room, to see Lois in her robe while he was fully clothed. Hopping over the broken pieces of glass all over her floor, Lois looked around her place, with a sigh, "It's gonna take a miracle to fix all this up." She said with a shake of her head. The corners of Clark's mouth curved up as Lois turned to the kitchen to pour them both some coffee. After she poured two cups, Lois turned around in complete surprise to find her home in perfect order. Her curtain rod was fixed, the coffee table was missing, but no glass shards in sight, the blood stains had disappeared. Her home looked in order, as if that night had never happened. Lois' jaw dropped in shock as she looked up at Clark smirking back at her, standing in the middle of the room, "How long was I pouring coffee for?"

He shrugged, holding up his hand, "You could do a lot in super speed."

She smiled back at him, "Thank you." He leaned down to kiss her. Feeling his lips against hers made her feel warm inside, like she was home, back to a place where she could truly be happy again. She hadn't had this feeling in a long time. The kiss lasted a while until they were interrupted by her son calling out for his momma. Lois chuckled under her breath as her heart melted at the sound of her son's voice.

"I'll get him." He said against her lips, giving her another kiss before going to get Chris. She took a sip of her coffee and suddenly winced as she brought her hand up to cup the back of her head where it was pulsing. "You okay?" She turned to see Clark right behind her, looking concerned with Chris in his arms, bouncing him up and down.

Lois waved him off, "It's just a headache, I'll live." She put her cup down and held out her hands towards her son, grinning when Clark gave him to her. "Hey my sweet boy!"

Clark however still looked concerned, "Are you sure you're not just sugar coating it? Maybe you should call that doctor of yours, Emil."

"I got some painkillers, I'll be fine."

Clark sighed, realizing there was no point in arguing with her he simply asked, "Are you sure you're okay?"

She looked up at him, as she noticed worry etched on his face. Bringing her hand up to cup his cheek she gave him a faint smile, nodding, "Thanks to you." Clark swallowed hard in silence as he covered her hand with his own. Lois' eyes went to his bare hand as her brows drew together, "How'd you convince them to take off the ring?"

Sighing, Clark replied, "I couldn't, Kara was the only one who believed I could find you."

"I guess no matter what dimension you're from, you're still her family and she believed in you."

"I'm grateful for her." Lois nodded as she turned her head to Chris, kissing his forehead, as she closed her eyes. Clark stared back at her for a long moment before he spoke up, "Lois..." She turned to face him and his heart stopped at her hazel eyes boring into his. Swallowing hard, he continued, "We should talk... about last night."

Lois lips parted as she hesitated, "Okay..." Her voice trailed off as she put Chris down, "Can we just table this for later though... I should probably freshen up first; I look like a mess."

A smile crept up his face, "You look beautiful."

Lois held her breath as she looked at him with uneasiness, fear taking over at what he wanted to say. Was last night a mistake? Did he want to leave? She had no idea what was to come of this conversation. With a small smile, she retreated to the bathroom in silence, leaving Clark alone with his thoughts... well not totally alone. He felt a tug on the bottom of his pants as he looked down to see Chris grinning up at him, holding his arms out. Clark bent down and swung him up in his arms, which made Chris giggle, "Hey there buddy." Clark rocked him back and forth, "You must've been scared not knowing where you mom was huh?" Chris paid no attention as he placed his small palms on Clark's face, "It's okay, you're mom's a fighter... she made it." He sighed as he stared back at those familiar blue eyes reflecting back on him, "I don't know if you know this but... I'm in love with your mother... and I have no idea what to do about that. I know she feels the same now, but at the same time she doesn't know my deepest secret." Clark blinked, "There's something amazing about your mother little guy, she's the only person in the world who knew me and accepted me without question or reservation..." A small smiled crept on Clark's face, "I don't know where I would ever find that kind of a gift again." He swallowed hard at the rising anxiety in him, "That's why... I'm scared as hell for her to know my secret... and how I got this scar..." He stared down at the burn mark on his wrist and found Chris' hand covering it. Clark leaned his forehead against Chris, "I love you too Chris... so much." He felt the boy's heartbeat in sync with his own, for the first time in his life, feeling that warmth of a father's love to his son. That feeling of protecting someone before anyone else was in his arms right now. Taking a deep breath, Clark whispered, "You know I realized something last night Chris..." Chris giggled as he leaned his head against Clark's shoulder, "The hardest thing is, loving someone and then having the courage to let them love you back... no matter what you've done." He closed his eyes as he held Chris in his arms, hugging him close.

Once Lois was done with her shower, she came back out in jeans and long sleeved shirt. As she came back out to the living room and saw Clark sitting on the couch with her son on his lap while he read him a Dr. Seuss book. Lois crossed her arms as she watched the scene before her. Is this really what her family could've been like? Is this what she had been missing this whole time? Sensing her presence, Clark looked up at Lois as she approached the two boys. Sitting beside Clark, "Which one are you reading?"

Clark chuckled, "Hop on Pop"

Lois grinned, "That's his favorite" And so both Lois and Clark Luthor read the book to Chris, bouncing the boy up and down when they read, 'Jump Bump he jumped. He bumped.' To which Chris laughed endlessly and clapped while Lois and Clark laughed along with him. Lois looked up at Clark, and realized she had never seen him truly laugh like that before, seeing his pearly whites as he grinned down at her son's enthusiasm to the story. As they read three more Dr. Seuss books, Lois had decided to work on her article on the Michael Sanders case. While she typed on her laptop, Clark played with Chris and his toys and watched cartoons, all forgetting they had wanted to talk.

Once Lois had fed Chris his lunch, it was time for him to take his nap. As she came back from putting him down in his room, she dropped down to the couch, leaning her elbow against the back of the couch as she rested her head on her hand, facing Clark as they stared back at each other. Taking a deep breath, Clark realized it was just the two of them again, "So how'd the article go?"

Pursing her lips, Lois answered, "Good, I just finished it up, put the thing through the brutal editing process and sent it to Perry to look it over. He's supposed to call me later." Clark nodded, "I decided to put Andy's name on the byline along with mine. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't have solved this case. She was a big part of finishing this article... she deserved the credit."

Clark tilted his head, "That real noble of you Lois..." Lois smiled back at him as he sighed, "Listen... about what happened between me and Andy... I just wanted you to know I was angry when I did what I did with her before she... you know. I just I felt I couldn't be who you wanted me to be so I did what I do best, I prove myself that I can still be the best at disappointing-" He stopped abruptly when Lois placed a finger on his lips, shushing him.

"You don't have to justify it anymore Clark... I get it. It's in the past" She simply said.

Clark stared back at her intently, "How could you have such a big heart and forgive me for everything I've done to you?" Lois blinked, "I mean you're looking at me right now... and you're the first person who doesn't look at me with disgust or spite." He looked down at his hands and smirked, "It's refreshing really." Lois took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly. Swallowing hard, Clark stared down at the 'L' shaped scar on his wrist.

_You're worthless to everyone in this world! We're all better off without you Clark... no one will even blink one you're dead, if anything I'd say no one would even ask what ever happened to Clark Luthor the alien. _

He blinked back from the flashback, those echoing words that he's had to carry with him for years now. Lois furrowed her brows as she saw him tense up, "Clark?"

His lips parted as Clark spoke, "You know for most of my life I've gone through it alone... and then I met you." He shook his head, "I don't wanna keep anything from you Lois. For the past couple of years I've had to carry a burden that I couldn't turn to anyone for the sole reason that I know what they'll think of me if they knew..." He clenched his jaw as a part of him begged him not to say anything, but another part just wanted to let it out and feel that sweet release of telling someone. "Every time I thought about it, there was a lot of pain and regret that came with it. And I never wanted to deal with that so I shoved that part of my memory away so as to never deal with it... but... then I look at this scar, and it kills me to have to keep it in and deal with all the hardships by myself." He sighed as Clark lifted his head and looked up at her, "And I finally found someone I could depend on when it got like this. It felt relieving and good to talk to someone who didn't judge me because of my past. Whether it was about Lionel or my mother... you just listened and didn't judge. So... after everything, I wanted to know if that was still there."

Lois, unsure of what exactly he was talking about, squeezed his hand, "Clark you can always talk to me... I will always be here."

Taking a shaky breath, Clark began, "When I first landed on Smallville in that spaceship, the first human being I saw was Lionel." He still remembered being that naive, innocent little boy who had landed on Earth with no guidance, no morals yet to welcome him to the world he was going to call home. He still remembered Lionel's cold grey eyes as he looked down at Clark with curiosity, and then smiled in triumph at finding the Traveler. Clark continued slowly, "I was raised by Lionel, who was so proud he found me, he found the Traveler. He knew everything about me before I could even speak. He had all his journals on Veritas, on the Traveler, on me... so it didn't take a genius to know that I was Lionel's property and no one else's. I was his greatest discovery in that cornfield. " Lois listened with interest, watching Clark conflicted as he continued, while fidgeting with his hands, "He didn't treat me the same way he did Tess... or Lex. Lionel only found out Tess existed later on, when I was 13. So Lex and I grew up together, and it was obvious who Lionel favored more." He gave a humorless chuckled, "Favored is silver lining it. Lionel just focused his attention more on me than he ever did with Lex. And that took a toll on my brother... what Lex didn't realize was that Lionel didn't favor me, he just saw me as his greatest asset to being on top of the world, so he wanted to make sure I was everything he expected me to be. And so he kept me in Kryptonite cages to see how much of it I can withhold over time. Lionel told me I was meant for greatness, and the things he had taught me made me arrogant, cruel, selfish... I knew how women saw me, I was conceited, and I took advantage of people as much as my father took advantage of me. I was desired by many, but loved by no one. Lionel used me for his own ends, keeping me in the dark about my past, about my origins." He scoffed, "Lionel knew how desperate I was to know who I was and because he held all the power he used that as leverage. I did everything he asked me to in order to get any kind of information about my origins...even kill. But soon after I realized I wasn't going to get anything out of him so I decided to be my own man. I wasn't going to be Lionel's pet anymore so I did everything I could to show him who had the real power. But he still knew my weakness. I couldn't stay there anymore; I couldn't stay in that world and feel so powerless from the man who raised me."

With a deep sigh, Clark stroked Lois' hand, "Even though I had the world at my fingertips I never felt more alone in my life. All I had was my brother Lex." Lois blinked, taken aback by that revelation, "Lex and I were very close when we were younger. We went to Excelsior together, I used to collect the Warrior Angel comic books with him, play with action figures... he was my big brother. Whenever he got bullied in school I'd have his back. I always did. We comforted each other when our mother died. Somewhere along the way Lex and I grew up and we grew apart. I was so used to Lionel's loathing that I began to see it in Lex when he looked at me. I didn't have his back anymore and Lex showed his true side. He was so angry he didn't have his father's love the way I did. Little did he know love had nothing to do with my relationship with Lionel. Lex's mind was full of jealousy, and pure hatred towards me. It was mostly jealousy, and that jealousy led him to... his death."

Lois parted her lips, "What do you mean?"

Clark clenched his jaw, so desperate to get her to understand, "I was used to it so I didn't see it coming. I never had my mother's love. I knew it for the first couple years of my life, and when she was gone I couldn't remember love... I was used to Lionel's loathing, and the fact that he used me so I did the same in return to everyone around me. I used people, I was cold to everyone, I broke A LOT of hearts without a second thought, and I kill the people who deserve it, I took out my hatred, I took it all out on the people I've killed, on the people who are capable of the same cruelty as Lionel... or worse." Clark swallowed hard, "As for Lex... he became who he was for one reason, total absence of love. And that destroyed any part of him that was my brother. He didn't have Lionel's love and he blamed me for it. Over the years, his hatred for me grew as much as my hatred for Lionel. And one day, Lex had found those Veritas journals Lionel had kept. He knew everything about the Traveler, everything about me... and he couldn't take it anymore... It drove him over the edge." He choked back, "My brother couldn't stand to see me alive anymore so he tried to kill me. I gotta give him credit, he planned it pretty well." Lois furrowed her brows, "There was a charity Gala the Luthor's were hosting one night... and Lex texted me to come to the house, and that it was important. So I go back to the mansion and Lex is holding a green meteor rock to my face... and knocked me unconscious." He swallowed hard, pushing the pain down as he tried to continue the story, "I woke up lying on the floor with Lex torturing me with Kryptonite. I was surrounded by green meteor rocks all around me... and I won't go into detail but he tortured me and Lex used gold K to make his mark on me. He wanted everyone to know who killed me. And he wanted everyone to know I was Ultraman. Lex centered his life on how to take me down, and that led him to lose his sanity. He tried to kill me; he tried to make his father proud that he was special if a human like Lex could kill Ultraman. He was out to prove something... but before he could finish the job, Tess walked in...

_He heard the faint echo of the doors being slammed open, "Oh my god! Lex what the hell are you doing?!" Tess exclaimed as she walked in on a disturbing scene of Lex torturing Clark with green meteor rocks._

_Lex ground his teeth together as he stood up, watching Clark lose consciousness. He turned to Tess, "Get out of here Tess. This doesn't concern you, go back to the party and mingle."_

"_Like hell I'm gonna! What are you doing to him?!"_

"_I'm doing the world a favor!"_

"_By killing him?!" Her eyes widened in shock, "You would kill your own brother..."_

"_HE IS NOT MY BROTHER!" His voice boomed through the house, "He's a piece of shit our father found in the fields. And just because he's an alien from outer space, dear old dad thinks he's special... well not after I get through with him. Today is gonna be the day Lex Luthor kills Ultraman, and I will be a hero to dad."_

_Tess huffed, "You're insane! He may have powers but he's not some alien Lex! His powers came from the rocks you're killing him with!"_

_Lex chuckled, "Open your eyes Lutessa, your little fuck buddy isn't human. Think about it... remember that little spaceship we found in one of father's facilities? It belonged to him" He pointed to Clark, "All these years I was putting all my energy to make dad notice my accomplishments... over what? Over an alien... an ALIEN!" _

_Tess' jaw dropped, "You're serious? Clark's not..."_

_He nodded, "Yes..." He stepped closer to her, "You and I could make father proud... deep down you know you were the bastard child he left behind... if you help me... you'll never have to compete for his affection again... why? Because he will realize we are his flesh and blood! Not THIS... thing!"_

_Tess furrowed her brows, "If he's dead... then his shares would go to us once Lionel's dead."_

_A grin formed on Lex's lips, "That's right isn't it? And I've spoken to my people... He's going to give Clark 70%."_

"_What?!" Her eyes widened, "That son of a bitch!" She was fuming as she paced around, walking towards Clark's limp body, looking down at it. A small smile formed on her lips, and soon disappeared, "This is wrong Lex... you'll never get away with it..."_

_Lex smirked, "I wasn't planning on it... I was going to make sure everyone knew I was capable of killing Ultraman!"_

_She scoffed, "And what the hell is my part in this?! I'm not going down for murder I'm not about to get involved if I get caught!"_

"_I'm Lex Luthor!" His voice boomed through the room, "Clark will not be my downfall." He said defiantly._

_She narrowed her eyes at him, "Neither will he be mine... I'm not going to let you do this. You clearly haven't thought this through... and Clark isn't all that bad! He is a valuable asset to our family!"_

_Lex' anger had hit its peak, "Wake up sis! He's never going to love you so stop trying to act like he will if you save him! Go open your legs to some other guy!" He turned to walk back towards Clark when he felt a piercing pain on the back of his head. Holding his head he turned to see Tess had hit him with an artifact statue. Lex growled, "You chose the wrong side Tess." He grabbed the back of her head and smashed it against the wall as they continued to fight, Tess roundhouse kicked him and took the hotrod off the ground and whipped it across Lex's face. With that, he had fallen unconscious. _

_Tess huffed as she ran towards Clark, "Can you hear me? Clark!" She took all the green rocks surrounding him and threw them into a drawer. Tess found a gold looking rock as she furrowed her brows, "What the hell..." Without question, she threw it into the fireplace and went back to Clark as he began to stir out of his painful slumber..._

While I was recovering on the floor, Lex was coming to as well." Clark shook his head, "At that moment I had never felt so angry in my life. I had never hated anyone as much I hated Lex at that moment. In a way I pitied him for wanting my life, for wanting the same attention Lionel gave me. I hated him for not appreciating that he wasn't treated like me all my life. I was just... Lex had become Lionel, and I couldn't have another Lionel Luthor taking advantage of my weaknesses and trying to control me like that. I couldn't do anything to Lionel... but at that moment I knew I could do it to Lex." Clark closed his eyes, afraid to reveal his biggest secret, "And so the second I heard Lex groan, I opened my eyes, felt my powers come back, and in one split second... I sped over to Lex, picked him up to his feet... I looked him right in the eyes... and he was gone. Just like that. I killed my brother." Clark shook his head as he continued to look down at their hands, "Once I did it I knew I couldn't go back. And at that moment and years after that I didn't let the guilt consume me. He tried to kill me and so I killed him." He gave a humourless chuckle, "And now... There's nothing I regret more than that one moment that made me kill my brother... that turned me into a true Luthor." Shaking his head, "After I killed him, Tess stood frozen, and she just stared back at me... I think she was in shock or something. We just looked at each other, not knowing what to do next... then Lionel walked in." Clark swallowed hard, wanting to just go back to that night to not have gone to that house, to have left the Luthor's a long time ago, "Once he found out what happened he did what he does best, he covered it up. He made Lex's death look like an accident. Lex had been drinking that night, so he told the public he had died from alcohol poisoning." Clark scoffed, "He covered his own son's murder up. He protected me, his adopted son, over his own flesh and blood. It wasn't because he was cared about me, he just didn't want anyone to find out what I was capable of or worse, find out I was Ultraman, that I had these powers. Because if more people knew, the more competition he'd have in who should control me." Clark shook his head, "And the rest of the family went on with their lives as if Lex had never existed. Every time I tried to defy Lionel he would throw it in my face whenever he wanted to. Every time Tess and I would get into a fight, she'd throw it in my face too, because they knew how much it stung." Turning his wrist over, he said, "This is all the reminder I need for what I've done... and now..." His throat began to close up as he continued, "The guilt of killing my own brother is eating me alive..."

There was a long silence between the two as Clark listened to Lois' heartbeat, without looking at her face. Suddenly, he felt her hand on his cheek, turning his face towards her. He looked back at her glistening hazel eyes as she swallowed hard, "I'm so sorry Clark." She whispered. She had kept silent, listening to Clark's story, listening to his confession with no interruptions. Usually she'd interrupt with a million questions but this... she was speechless, "I'm so sorry your life turned out this way... and you had to go through so much pain because of these people." Her heart broke for Clark, watching the vulnerability finally coming out into the open.

Taking a long shaky breath, Clark felt tears stinging in his eyes, "You know most of my conversations with Tess and Lionel have been about me being a monster for killing Lex... You're the first person who hasn't called me a monster after telling them I killed my brother."

Lois' lips parted as she shook her head, stroking his face gently with her hand, "You're not a monster... don't ever call yourself a monster. Clark I can see how much pain you've been going through keeping this secret. You even said it yourself you've never regretted anything more than this. If you were a monster it wouldn't cost you... this was in a moment where you lost control of yourself... and you regretted it. That's far from a monster... that's human. You lost a part of yourself when Lex had died... and that was the resentment you had for him, and now it's replaced by the unconditional love you had for him when you were kids..."

A sob broke through his chest as he wrapped his arms around her, "I'm starting to believe what he said to me all those years ago... I'm starting to feel the world is better off without me. I've been away from my world for a while now and I doubt anyone even noticed I'm gone. I've caused so much pain to so many people... the world's better off if I didn't exist."

Lois tightened her arms around him, "Trust me... it's not. Clark no matter what you think, no matter how bad you think you've screwed up, there's always redemption, there's always absolution Clark... I'm here. You have a good heart... it's just been misguided... there's still hope. Don't ever lose hope that you deserve more than the life you've been given."

Clark swallowed hard as he looked back at her, "I wanted to tell you... I needed you to know this about me because... I'd rather you know my darkest secrets because... I'm not perfect. I'm far from perfect, I can't be the perfect man for you I can't be exactly who you want me to be I'm not a Superman Lois, I've had more than my fair share of blood on my hands but... I wanted to tell you a part of why I am the way I am because... I'm scared as hell to want you. But here I am, wanting you anyways, and fear means I have something to lose right? And I don't wanna lose you Lois."

Lois blinked, staring back at his baby blues for a long while, seeing the bold, daring eyes looking back at her, with a hard edge to them. Like he endured a lot of pain in his life, seen things he wished he hadn't, done things he wished he could take back, but couldn't and they'd made him cold, detached, guarded... She also saw the gentleness and warmth that dared to peak out of his hard shell, and was finally coming to light; she leaned in and captured his lips with hers in a gentle, but deep kiss. As she pulled away, she said softly, "I'm still here..."

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><p><strong>Thank you again for reading (I don't say that enough do I:P?) and I most likely won't be able to post the next chapter until after Christmas I'll try but if I don't have a safe and happy holiday everybody!<strong>


	36. What if I Told You

Again sorry for the long wait I hope everyone had a good Christmas and a happy new year!

I would like to respond to all of your comments but I don't want to say anything without spoiling but TJ, you along with almost every reader have been wondering about CK's whereabouts and I know I've been stringing that part of the story for so long but don't worry your questions WILL be answered... soonishh lol that's all I can say. I did mention this was going to be a long journey loll I guess I'm stringing it TOO long and have kept you guys waiting... 36 chapters long lol but I hope this chapter helps. You guys HAVE been waiting for this moment for some time and it's finally here, read and see what I'm talking about;)

Enjoy and thank you for the reviews!

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><p><strong>Chapter 36: What if I Told you- Jason Walker<strong>

_**There's so much I want to say, but I'm so scared to give away, every little secret that I hide behind. Would you see my differently? And would that be such a bad thing. I wonder what it would be like, if I told you.**_

Chloe walked down the corridors of the hall as thoughts of her previous conversation spurred within her mind,

"_J'onn... I don't know what to do, Ollie won't let us try downloading Kryptonian knowledge the way Jor-El said we should... and even if we do he's right... there's a chance our minds just can't take that much information... and a chance Clark's body won't even be found...What do we do?"_

_J'onn rubbed his forehead as he paced around Watchtower, "What do you want me to say Chloe? I know as much as you do. You must stop assuming I have the answers because I really don't..."_

_Chloe's lips parted, "Well neither do I!" She covered her eyes with her hand, "We might never find him again J'onn... We don't even know where he is... and it's all my fault."_

_J'onn sighed, walking towards Chloe, grabbing her shoulders, "Chloe, whether you had made the decision to make changes to his body or not it still wouldn't have changed the fact that Lois activated that mirror box. And because she did that Clark's body's gone... only difference is that we wouldn't have known about it if we hadn't moved him to the Fortress."_

_Chloe shook her head, "You're wrong J'onn... if I had told Lois from the start what I was planning... she wouldn't have lost hope. I could've given her hope... and by the changes we made to his body to bring him back... it could've factored into his disappearance..."_

Taking a deep breath she had gotten to her cousin's door, as she was about to knock, she noticed the door had been slightly opened, as she heard Chris giggling on the other side as she pushed open the door a crack more to see inside.

"I don't think I've ever seen him stay up past his nap time before. You sure you didn't sneak in some ice cream while I was getting ready?" Lois teased while Clark was swinging Chris in the air while he sat on the couch.

With a chuckle, Clark replied, "Nah I think he just likes spending time with me so much that I haven't bored him yet."

Lois smiled as she packed up her bag, "Alright, now that I've found my keys, this is officially goodbye."

Clark stood up with Chris in his arms as he walked up to her, "You really have to go into work today." He said while one hand played with the lapel of her jacket, pulling her closer as Lois swayed towards him.

"If I wanna keep my job then yeah..." She said with a grin, brushing her nose against his.

"Mhm like your Editor will ever fire you..."

"You're right..." She sighed, "He loves me too much."

Clark shook his head at her with a smile, "I doubt it... I think there's someone else who tops him... Why don't you just work from home again?"

"Cause I know if I stay, I won't be doing any working..." She giggled as he wrapped his arm around her waist, brushing his lips against her neck, all the way up to her lips, meeting in a gentle kiss. Lois pulled away as she smiled back at him, taking a deep, shaky breath, "I have to go..." She whispered.

"So go..." He challenged, while tightening his iron grip on her.

Lois wriggled away as she brushed her son's hair, kissing his cheek, and quickly kissed Clark on the lips again, "I'll see you boys later..." She turned to grab her purse and her keys as she turned and winked at Clark, "See ya Smallville." As she turned around she froze in place. She stood rooted on the spot for half a second before composing herself again, swallowing hard, as she turned back to see Clark standing behind her with a confused look. Flashing a quick smile on her face that didn't meet her eyes, she grabbed her coffee and headed towards the door.

Chloe, who was standing behind the door the entire time, stood rooted with her eyes wide open at the scene that had unfolded in front of her. Her breathing increased as she took a step away from the door, her lips parted in complete shock at what she had seen. It was like a complete, happy family. Like Lois had her family back, as if it was another morning where she was going off to work, kissing her family goodbye before leaving... but this... Chloe had no words to describe the cruel reality of this. She heard Lois walking towards the door as Chloe rushed down the corridor and opened the doors to the stairs as she got out of there, unseen, and unheard.

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><p><em>Watchtower<em>

J'onn had arrived again once Chloe messaged him saying that she was back at Watchtower.

"That was quick Chloe... I thought you were taking the day off to spend time with Lois and Chris..."

Chloe kept her eyes glued to her keyboard as she continued typing, "Yeah well plans change..." She murmured, unfocused, as her eyebrows drew together in a slight frustration.

J'onn furrowed his brows as he came closer to her, "Is everything alright?"

Her eyes drifted off as she had a distant look on her face, rubbing her eyes, she turned to J'onn, "No... No everything is definitely NOT alright J'onn..."

As they both stared at each other, the elevator doors opened up as they both turned to see Lois walk up to them with a glowing smile on her face. Chloe clamped her mouth shut as she frowned at her cousin's happiness, feeling her heart sink as she watched that glow that had finally returned after all these years... a glow that was never meant to return this way.

Lois walked up to Chloe, and spoke with a smile on her face, holding a cup in front of her, "I brought you a Latte. Ollie told me you were here all night and didn't go back home... is everything okay cuz?"

Chloe swallowed hard as she took the cup from Lois, placing it down on the table behind her, facing her cousin again, shaking her head, "What are you doing with Clark Luthor?"

Lois blinked once, "Excuse me?"

Crossing her arms, Chloe bit her bottom lip as J'onn watched in confusion, "I stopped by earlier today, you left the door unlocked... and I saw you two... and the way you said goodbye to each other..." Lois took a step back as Chloe described what she had seen this morning.

Lois' lips parted as she stared back at her cousin, "It's not what you think..." Chloe continued to stare back at her cousin in confusion as Lois took a deep breath, "Yes... Clark and I are sort of... together... but I know what you're thinking and it's nothing like that Chloe. It's not something I jumped into just because he resembles my Clark. Clark Luthor and I have gotten close, I know him in a different way than you do..."

Chloe shook her head as she stepped towards her, "Lois... I know you may feel grateful to Clark for saving your life, but that doesn't mean that it justifies for every crime he's committed, everything else he's done to us! Yes I am grateful that he saved your life too, and yes I understand he cares about you a great deal but that doesn't mean I'm excusing everything else he's done."

Lois sighed as she rubbed her forehead, "You don't know him the way I do Chloe... yes he's done some things in the past... but that doesn't mean they're not justified."

"Justified or not it's not JUSTICE." She shook her head, "That's not what our Clark stood for."

Lois furrowed her brows while shaking her head, "That's not fair Chloe. You can't stand there comparing them to me. My Clark is... irreplaceable. But he's gone... I've spent two years of my life without the man I love and now I've finally learned to accept it. I'm finally learning to move on is that such a bad thing?! Is it so terrible for me to move on with someone else?!"

Chloe stood there in disbelief, "You don't see it do you? This isn't moving on Lois you're holding on to Clark Kent so much that you haven't learned to let go yet! The only reason you brought Clark Luthor here is so you can see your husband's face again and it was nothing more than that!" She huffed, "I'm sorry it's coming out this way but it's the truth Lois. You're not moving on... you're trying to grasp whatever memory you can hold onto of him and you chose to find the easiest way and it's gone too far. You're judgment's getting clouded Lois... it's not Clark Luthor you want. It's the idea of him. This man isn't from our world, he doesn't belong here!"

She stood still for a long moment in silence before speaking in a calm tone, "I know he's not my Clark. I never saw him as my Clark. I saw him as a man full of hatred, and anger, and malice towards the world... and I'm the only person who knows a version of him enough to understand Luthor himself. He may not be my Clark... but I can still feel the warmth of his heart, the gentleness in him when he holds me... he makes me feel something Chloe. And it's something I haven't felt in a really long time... I'm not about to let that go. And you shouldn't judge me for this it's not like I jumped into this and immediately fell for him... but somewhere along the way I slowly began to grow feelings for him. It may not be the ideal way to move on... but I don't see myself with anyone else other than Clark and no, it's not just about the resemblance."

Chloe shook her head as she rose her voice at her cousin, "And what are you going to do when we find a way to get him back to Earth-2?! Are you just going to be able to go through losing someone you care about all over again?! Or are you going to run off to Earth-2 just to be with him?!" Lois stayed silent as she glared back at Chloe as she continued, "Do you even love him?" She blinked once as she saw Lois turn away, "I know you Lois, probably more than anyone else... and I know you don't." Shaking her head once again her shoulders slumped as she spoke gently, "This is wrong Lois... it's not meant to be this way-"

"THEN WHAT WAS IT MEANT TO BE?!" She lost it as Lois yelled out loud while J'onn remained silent while watching her rage, "Was Doomsday meant to kill my husband?! Was that how it was always meant to be?! Huh J'onn?!" She turned on him, with fire burning in her eyes, "You were supposed to protect him. His parents trusted YOU to protect their son and YOU let them down! You didn't save him and I lost him alright, I LOST THE LOVE OF MY LIFE AND IT BROKE ME!" Lois began to breathe heavily and her arms dropped to her sides, "Everything that I went through after he died was hell. A man whom I spent eleven years of my life with left me. I lost my mother, I barely had a relationship with my father, and I haven't seen Lucy since forever! Clark was my family. He was all I needed because he was my family. He was my family and he left me!" Tears were pooling in her eyes as her hands were balled into fists, "It took me a long time to accept that. A LONG time to realize no miracle was going to bring my family back. After Clark Luthor came... he made it better... he fixed me. He filled that hole in my heart. I'm all glued back together now." She bore her eyes into Chloe, "I make no apologies for how I chose to fix what Doomsday broke... and being with Clark Luthor makes me happy. That feeling he makes me feel... I don't feel alone anymore, and I needed that. I can't say it's gonna be easy to let that go. But if you guys never find that mirror box... then that'll be fine with me... with us."

Chloe eyes were glossy as she simply stared back at Lois in silence, not daring to break it. Seeing that her cousin had nothing left to say, Lois brushed past her towards the elevator. As she was about to leave Chloe spun around and spurted out in a throaty voice, "Lois, Clark's missing!"

J'onn's head shot towards Chloe as his eyes widened at her. Lois stopped walking as she stood with her back to Chloe; her brows furrowed as she slowly turned her head in Chloe's direction, and turned her body halfway, "What?" She whispered.

Chloe swallowed hard as J'onn spoke in a warning tone, "Chloe..."

She ignored him as Chloe slowly took a step towards Lois as she stood grounded, "A month before Christmas... J'onn and I had an idea that maybe... there was a possibility that Clark could be brought back to life... that he could possibly be alive." She swallowed hard as she couldn't read Lois' expression as her lips were in a tight firm line, Chloe noticed a crease in her forehead as her cousin stared back at her while she continued slowly, "So... we decided to remove his body from the mausoleum... and bring it to the Fortress." She took a shaky breath, "We tried everything from bringing him up to the sun to give him its energy to asking Jor-El for help, and J'onn even sought out Kandorians to see if they would help by transferring their blood into him. We've been trying for a while to revive him and for a moment we thought he did but... there was no response. And the night that you activated that mirror box... Clark's body disappeared from the Fortress." She shook her head, "We've been searching everywhere for him... we have no idea where he is Lois. But we're guessing that wherever the mirror box has disappeared to... then that's where our Clark is... but they're both missing." There was a long, utter silence, as Lois stood frozen in place, staring at nothing in particular as Chloe looked back at J'onn and then to her cousin, "Say something please..."

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><p><strong>Now because I haven't updated in so long I won't leave you guys hanging I'll update either tonight or tomorrow PROMISE:)<strong>**!**


	37. Weight of Us

Alright well I know I said I'd update yesterday but I got caught up with watching the Lord of the Rings Marathon for two days with my friend who ended up getting the flu so I was taking care of her too:P I'm here now and that's faster than my last update hahaa! I've been reading your reviews and I see LOTS AND LOTS of different opinions and mixed feeling about this story. Right now I'm pretty much writing from bystanders perspective, the fact that Chloe and everyone else doesn't know what goes on between Lois and CL when they're alone so they don't exactly understand if their connection is real, and reminding everyone deep down the reason why Lois activated that mirror box at the same time. I hope you all are satisfied by the end of this story I want everyone to be happy and I really really really hope I can accomplish that;)

In the meantime enjoy this long chapter, we got a couple more chapters to go!

Thank you all again for your reviews and Tj don't worry I wasn't offended or anything I enjoy reading your honest opinion on the story. I mean it is a conflicting storyline with many points of view so don't worry I totally get where your coming from and I wish I could answer your questions buuutttt you're going to have to read it cause I don't spoil nothing;)

I would love to answer everyone's reviews but I'm so busy nowadays so I answer all of your questions and concerns through my story;)

ENJOY AGAIN I swear I'm done talking now:P!

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><p><strong>Chapter 37: The Weight of Us- Sanders Bohlke<strong>

_**There's a cold heart, buried beneath, and warm blood, running. Secrets, are mine to keep, protected by silent sleep. I'm not ready, I'm not ready for the weight of us. The time has come, let us be brave. Shake off all your sins, the time has come, let us be brave, let us be brave.**_

_Previously..._

_She shook her head, "We've been searching everywhere for him... we have no idea where he is Lois. But we're guessing that wherever the mirror box has disappeared to... then that's where our Clark is... but he's missing." There was a long, utter silence, as Lois stood frozen in place, staring at nothing in particular as Chloe looked back at J'onn and then to her cousin, "Say something please..."_

Lois stared back at Chloe for what seemed like an eternity of silence, she simply stared back and forth from her to J'onn as she smirked and gave a humorless chuckle which turned into a laugh as she closed her eyes, "You're a real piece of work Chloe. Cruel enough to keep me away from Clark Luthor by giving me some kind of hope... some kind of bullshit wishful thinking that my husband's missing and possibly alive..." She continued to laugh, "You're seriously deranged to do this to me... after everything I've been through you expect me to believe you kidnapped my husband without telling anyone, and apparently LOST his body and have no idea where the Man of Steel has gone..." She laughed even harder, "You think you'd have a better story that's actually BELIEVABLE!" She held her stomach as her laughter began to get painful while she fought back the tears.

She opened her eyes as she felt two hands on her shoulder and saw J'onn standing in front of her, holding her arms in place he spoke in a gentle tone, "Chloe's not lying Lois... we're telling you the truth. Kal-El is missing... and it might be connected to the mirror box..." Lois' laughter slowly began to fade, "We're guessing if we bring back the mirror box then... Clark will come back as well. Your Clark."

Lois looked back at Chloe standing behind J'onn, voicing a look full of concern as she stared back at J'onn, who tightened his grip on her as she tried to pull away, "You're telling me that you've been trying to revive my husband, AND lost his body for MONTHS and didn't tell me until now..." She said in a quiet, shaky tone. J'onn sighed as he nodded.

Chloe stepped up, "It wasn't J'onn Lois, it was me. I was the one who didn't want to tell anyone... I didn't want to give you false hope in case we couldn't bring him back... you were grieving enough and we didn't want to add to that."

Lois huffed, "And what about all these months when he was MISSING. You didn't think to tell me before?! You didn't think this was important enough for me to know about yet?!"

"Lois-"

"So you're telling me... Clark might still be alive..." She whispered the last part.

"We don't know that Lois..." J'onn said with a sigh, "Maybe..."

Lois started trembling in J'onn's arms, "Oh god..." She shook her head as she stared back at J'onn, "How could you..." Her eyes went to Chloe as her bottom lip trembled, "HOW COULD YOU?!"

"Lois listen to me!" J'onn pleaded as she began to hyperventilate, all three unaware of a fourth party walking in at that moment, "You were right... " He explained as she continued to struggle breathing as the tears fell down her cheek, "I should've protected him... I failed you. I failed you and your son the day Kal-El left this world... I let you down, and I promised myself I'd watch over you and Christopher and protect you both with all I had, even if it meant protecting you from heartbreak if we could not revive Kal-El. We did not want to put you through the same grief of losing him all over again after giving you hope."

Lois clenched her teeth and wrenched away from J'onn's grasp, glaring at both of them "Then why didn't you tell me he was missing?! You had ALL this time! I had a right to know! I'm his wife!" She covered her face with her hands, "Oh god... I... Luthor and I... we... Oh god..." Her heart started racing as she tried to pace her breathing, "Clark's gone... because of me..."

Chloe's lips parted as she walked towards Lois, "No Lois none of this was your fault-"

"But it is!" She exclaimed, "If I had never found that mirror box, Clark's body would still be here... and maybe even... he could be..." She ran her trembling fingers through her dark hair, "I did this..." She whispered, "It's because of me he's gone and you..." She looks directly at Chloe, "You chose to keep it from me this whole time... making me think he was tucked away in that stupid mausoleum! That there was no possibility of bringing him back!" Chloe tried to take a step towards her as Lois took a step back and held her hand towards her, "Stay the hell away from me... both of you." With that, she ran out of Watchtower.

Chloe brought her hand up to her chest, taking a deep breath. She furrowed her brows as she felt a presence behind her, her face tightened as she turned around and saw Oliver staring back at her with a dark look. He blinked once at her as Chloe's breath got caught in her throat, "Oliver... how long have you been standing there-"

"I've heard enough!" he exclaimed, "I mean I could wrap my head around the reason why you couldn't tell Lois... but why couldn't you tell me? Your husband." He said in a stern tone.

Chloe swallowed hard, "It wasn't your burden to bear Ollie... I wasn't even sure if there was a way and then-"

"It went too far to a point you'd be screwed no matter when you'd tell us... is that it?" Chloe stayed silent at that, while Oliver wiped his mouth with his hand, "Now let me get this straight, the mirror box is missing, and on top of that Clark Kent's body disappeared at the same time, so they're basically somewhere together is that right?"

J'onn sighed, "As far as we know... yes."

Oliver gave a humorless chuckle, "And we have NO idea how to get the mirror box back, therefore there's NO possible way for us to get him back either is there." No one spoke which confirmed his theory, "Perfect. I mean for all we know he could've been swapped with Luthor and is in Earth-2" He turned back to Chloe, taking a step towards her while she kept her eyes on him, "How could you keep this from me Chloe... I thought we were all done with secrets... we work as a team, and instead you decided to go rogue on this. You couldn't trust the League to help... you couldn't trust me."

"It's not like that Oliver... you were already working hard enough to retrieve the mirror box and... I thought I could handle it-"

"Well it came out either way didn't it?!" He exclaimed, "What was the plan Chloe? See if we found a way to find the box and you just sit back and wait if Clark's body would magically appear with it. What if we did find a way to get the mirror box... and Clark still didn't return... what was the plan then? Were you planning on keeping this 'burden' all to yourself?" She bit her bottom lip as Oliver huffed, "Who else knows about this?!"

J'onn cleared his throat, "Just me, Chloe... and Kara."

Oliver raised his brows, "Kara knows about this and didn't say anything considering this is her family we're talking about?!" He huffed in disbelief, "I expected more from you J'onn."

Chloe shook her head at him, "Don't blame J'onn. If you want to take it out on someone take it out on me. This whole thing was my idea, my plan, and I was the one who convinced J'onn and Kara not to say anything to spare you all from having to deal with my mistake."

"Yeah well you did a stand up job of it." Chloe tilted her head sadly at Oliver, dropping her hands to her sides, "You know what... I can't even look at you right now. You've both gone too far. We have to find that mirror box now more than ever." He shook his head as he walked away from them. Chloe fought back tears as she watched her husband leave without another word.

"What have I done..." She whispered under her breath.

* * *

><p><em>Lois' Home<em>

"You know you're gonna have to give me a piece of your cookie right?" He said playfully as he watched Chris munch on his chocolate chip cookie.

With a toothy grin, Chris extended his cookie towards Clark, "Coookee?"

He chuckled at the boy, "I'm just kidding bud you seem to be enjoying it more." Chris giggled to that and continued munching on his cookie while watching cartoons. The corner of Clark's mouth twitched as he watched the little boy in bliss, "I wonder how long it'd be before you get your powers... I first got mine at six. I tried running towards the Luthor mansion and instead ended up in Missouri." He chuckled, "I've never been so freaked out in my life. After that, came super strength when I was nine... and that's when Lionel started paying... closer attention to me." He shook away those memories. He was turning a new leaf, a new chapter in his life, where his past was nothing more than a distant memory... he had a new future to look forward to... with her. And with her he'd never have to look back. A smile unconsciously formed on his lips as he felt Chris try and climb on his lap. Clark helped him on, "You know I always thought having these powers were a curse. That I was just... an unlucky soul who just had to be different." He smirked, "I guess I thought I'd be better off in someone else's shoes..." He turned his head and stared back at the framed photo of Martha and Jonathan Kent on top of the fireplace and let out a long sigh, "Your dad was a lucky guy... he got the better end of the deal." He looked back down at his baby blues staring back at him, "One day, I'll take you to the stars Chris. When I learned to fly... I would always go up to the edge of the Earth and be able to see the world clearly from up there. It's my solitude whenever I wanted some time to myself..." he swallowed back the lump in his throat, "I know I'm... not him... but if you ever want to... I'll take you up to the stars... so you could feel a little closer to your dad..." He swallowed hard once again, tightening his hold on the little boy in his arms who was playing with his shirt, "I'd do anything for you, you know that?" The corner of his mouth curved up, "I love you Chris... so much." He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Furrowing his brows, Clark stood up, placing Chris in his playpen and went to go open the door. He let out a quiet groan as Bruce stood before him, rolling his eyes he put his hand in his pocket, "Lois isn't here." He said bluntly.

Bruce raised his brow as he walked inside past him, "Where is she?" He asked as he went towards the living room and saw Chris banging his trucks together. When he saw his uncle Bruce, Chris jumped, holding his hands up and giggled as Bruce picked him up, "Heya kiddo, I haven't seen you in a while..." He smiled back at the little boy who had his palm against his face.

Clark stared back at Bruce with Chris in his arms and felt an urge to tear them apart, and keep the boy to himself. Clearing his throat he stepped towards them, "There's no use in you staying here, Lois went to work and since that's the only reason you ever come here... I'll give her the message so..." _Get the hell out_, he thought.

Bruce turned to Clark, "I don't just come to see Lois, I came to check on Chris since I'm back in Metropolis."

"How long you staying till you go back to Gotham..." He asked.

With a smirk, Bruce replied, "Why you wanna get rid of me that badly so you can have Lois all to yourself?"

Rolling his eyes, Clark said, "What's between me and Lois is none of your business"

Bruce slowly raised his brow and turned to look back at Chris, "So there is a 'you and Lois'... I should've known." He gave a humorless chuckle as he put Chris down while he ran towards his room. Looking back at Chris' retreating form, he turned back to Clark, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" Clark narrowed his eyes at him and remained silent, "You thinking taking advantage of Lois while she's at her most vulnerable makes this all real?"

"You don't know anything about it" He huffed with a shake of his head, "I'm not taking advantage of anything Wayne. Lois isn't vulnerable like you see her. She's the strongest woman I know and she wasn't forced into anything, she makes her own choices." He huffed, "You don't think I know what this is all about? That your egos bruised that you got rejected and now that you finally see her moving with someone other than you it's all of a sudden 'taking advantage of her'" He shook his head as he stepped towards him, "You're pathetic."

Bruce was about to say something when he heard Chris running back to them, "Hey buddy, where'd you go?" He said with a grin while Clark kept his eyes on him.

Chris held out his toy figure out to Bruce with a smile, "Batman!" He squealed out.

Bruce chuckled as he took the toy Batman from his hands, "You still have my gift..." He laughed to himself, "And used it as a chew toy huh?" He said, remarking the bite marks all over the Batman. Kissing his forehead, and handing the toy back to him, Bruce ruffled his hair, "I got to go now buddy but I'll see you very soon okay? We'll have ice cream with mommy"

"YA!" Chris exclaimed while clapping his hands together.

Bruce stood up and straightened out his suit, turning to Clark with a nod, "Luthor." He remarked coldly as he walked past him towards the door.

Clark clenched his teeth as Bruce walked past him, turning around, he called out to Bruce, "It stings doesn't it?" Bruce stopped with his hand on the door handle as he turned back to face him with narrowed eyes, "Being in love with someone who will never love you back. It must be painful knowing you were never enough for her that she wanted ME here to be happy." He smirked back at him, "I gave her the kind of happiness you were never able to give her."

Bruce kept a cool face, staring back at him for a long moment, and Clark noticed a twinge of pity in his eyes, "And how does it feel? How does it feel knowing you're just an alternate version of who she truly loves? That when she looks into your eyes, she wishes you were someone else? Sees you as someone else." Clark's face tightened as he glared back at him, "You may have his face... but you're nothing like Clark Kent." Clark flinched at his name, while Bruce smirked back at him, "See that's the difference between you and me Luthor... I don't need to be someone else for her. You think it's Clark Luthor she loves?" He huffed as he opened the door and left without another word, leaving Clark Luthor to quench in the painful truth. He turned back and spotted her wedding photo above the fireplace, swallowing hard, he unconsciously clenched his fists. He furrowed his brow as he stared at nothing, staying in silence, until he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down he saw those baby blues staring back at him. As much as he felt like he's been hit with a million bricks, seeing that face made the pain fade just a bit... just a bit. Swallowing hard, Clark bent down to pick up the boy, and held him in his arms for as long as possible.

* * *

><p>The leaves bristled around her as the wind brushed through her face as she walked through the field, the sun was about to set as she looked back at the horizon of the lake. Chloe continued to walk through the field and stopped in front of a tombstone. Burying her hands in her pockets, she kicked a small pebble with her feet as she stood before the stone. A small smile spread on her lips as fast as it disappeared, "Hi..." She said in a quiet, gentle tone, with a fear of being heard, of getting a response, but knew she wouldn't, "It's been a while since I came by... sorry about that." She licked her lips as she leaned forward, and brushed the leaves off of the tombstone, as she carefully sat herself down on the grass in front of the stone, crossing her legs. She stared back at his grave for a long while before looking up at the clear blue sky, "I've made a huge mess Jimmy..." She shook her head to herself, "You know Lois brought Clark Luthor here from Earth-2? I knew this was a disaster waiting to happen... and get this, they've fallen in love." She huffed as the corner of her mouth curved up, "I guess you were right, Lois and Clark are meant to be, no matter what universe they're from they always seem to be... drawn to each other." She smirked, "At first couldn't understand it. I couldn't understand how she could be as naive as to cheating destiny and bringing a different version of Clark. I mean this isn't even Clark right? He's from a parallel universe. I thought... she needed to move on, she shouldn't be held up in the past... I mean am I not seeing it clearly? Is this actually something real going on between them?" Taking a deep breath, Chloe continued, "Well I can't be a hypocrite now can I? I do know one thing for sure..." Tears pooled in her eyes as the tips of her fingers lightly brushed against the stone, "If I had the power to be with you again I'd probably have done the same. I tried once... I remember I tried to convince Clark to use the Legion ring to go back in time and save you from Davis... I mean that's no different than what Lois did right? Except you still would've been the same Jimmy..." She sighed, dropping her hands to her lap, "I love Oliver... I love him so much, and I can't imagine my life without him... but I've never forgotten you Jimmy... I've never forgotten us. You've made me so happy, and you've supported me through the hard times... and I could really use your help in figuring out how to fix this mess I've created." She wiped a tear that escaped her eye, "Please Jimmy... give me a sign... help me figure out how to help Lois. I know Clark Luthor was never meant to come to our world... but Clark Kent wasn't supposed to die either. He had so much going for him... he was going to be a father... and I tried to bring him back for that sole purpose..." She shook her head, "If Clark had actually gone back in time and saved you... I would've been forever grateful to be able to continue our lives together but... that wasn't our destiny... and now I have to give Clark back his destiny... and Clark Luthor... and Lois, and Chris... but how... How do I do that Jimmy?" She chewed on her bottom lip as she suddenly thought of something, lifting herself up, Chloe placed her hand top of the tombstone, "I have to make things right... and as far as we know there's only one way to do that... even if it means making a sacrifice." Taking a deep shaky breath, she spoke softly, "I love you..."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>TBC:)<strong>


	38. Christmas TV

**Chapter 38: Christmas TV- Slow Club**

_**It's okay to have scars, they will make you who you are. It's okay to have fear, because that means you aren't scared of coming here. It's brutal, it's brutal why can't you see. It's brutal, it's brutal, where have you been? Because we are far apart and my lonely heart finds it hard to get through the night. You pulled me out of the dark and now it's light. So come on home. Just come on home.**_

_Other Side of Metropolis- Superman's Mausoleum_

Lois gently brushed her fingers against the soft burgundy wood of the casket which rested in front of her. She sighed as she continued to stroke it. As those memories she held dear, those memories which came alive in her dreams swam through her mind as she stood alone in the mausoleum...

_She kept her eyes glued to the ceiling, counting all the bumps as she laid on her bed, hearing nothing but the sound of the dripping water coming out of the faucet, and the ticking of the clock. There were many thoughts going in her head, many plans she had to make in case the time came..._

_ A silent sob broke through her chest as she closed her tear filled eyes, as fear took over when she realized she wasn't ready... she wasn't ready to leave the man she loved. It was too soon. She took a deep, shaky breath as she held up her left hand while her two rings sparkled in front of her, bringing them to her lips she closed her eyes once again. Suddenly, she heard the window open in their living room to which Lois quickly wiped her tears as she continued to lay in bed, trying to pace her breathing. She heard her bedroom door open as he walked in, wearing his red and blue suit, with his cape draping behind him as he smiled back at her with so much love, a smile she never wanted to see falter, "Hey baby" He said softly as he super sped out of his suit and into nothing but his boxers. Lois swallowed hard as he approached their bed where she lay, slowly crawling on top of her, wrapping his arms around her waist, slightly lifting her up into his arms as he kissed her nose._

_ Lois quietly wrapped her arms around his neck, softly running her fingers through his dark hair, "Hey..." She whispered. He dipped his head down and placed soft kisses along her collar bone, "How'd it go?" She said hoarsely._

_ Resting his head on her chest, Clark spoke, "We took care of the hostage crisis in the CIA, which was Lex's doing and it turned out to be a diversion so we would be busy fighting off his injustice gang... while he took a jet to Cairo, into an underground unit and launched a molecular device towards the sun...he was planning on shutting off Earth's number one source for living... and my powers. Luckily, Diana, Hal, J'onn, and I stopped it before it could reach the sun's core and dissolved it. Bruce and Bart found Luthor and his men in Egypt, he's lock up and is being transferred. Oliver, AC, and Dinah took care of the hostage crisis, Kara helped fight the Injustice gang since I couldn't be there."_

_ Lois plastered on a smile as she caressed his face, "That's great Clark... I'm glad you're all okay." She said in a soft whisper._

_ Clark furrowed his brows as he heard a crack in her voice, her tone lacking the enthusiasm he's used to hearing. Lifting his face up to meet hers, he noticed they were masked so well with a blank look. But as his azure eyes met her hazel ones, he noticed the flash of fear and sadness for a brief second before she masked it again. Clark lifted himself up, balancing his weight on his forearms as he brushed a strand of hair away from her face, "Lois what's wrong?"_

_ Lois' eyes fluttered as she shook her head, smiling a smile which didn't meet her eyes, "Nothing" She chuckled lightly, "I just missed you that's all. I haven't seen you in a week so I'm getting all emotional seeing you again. This bed HAS felt empty without you." Clark stared back at her, clearly not convinced as he tried reading her face. Swallowing hard, Lois pulled his face down and met his lips with her own, the kiss deepened as she tilted her head, while he slipped his tongue between her lips, demanding entrance as they kissed with need. Clark felt her wrap her leg around his waist, as he felt consumed by her, falling deep into a much needed passion from her as he slipped his hands under her shirt, feeling the heat from her skin. It took a while for him to snap back into reality as he pulled away, to which Lois whimpered at, trying to pull him down for another kiss._

_ "Lois-" He murmured against her soft, luscious lips, letting out a sigh as she moved to leave soft bites on his bare shoulder, "Lois..." He took her face in his hands, turning her to face him as she looked in his eyes with confusion, "I know you're keeping something..." His doubts were confirmed when she broke eyes contact and turned her head away, "What's going on? You know you can tell me..."_

_ She sighed and exclaimed out of frustration, "Nothing! Nothing's wrong Smallville just let it go!"_

_ He huffed, "You know I'm not gonna do that... I haven't seen you in a week and I KNOW when something's wrong so tell me"_

_ She rolled her eyes at him, "Clark I think you've gotten hit with too many meteor rocks in the head. I'm fine. I just want to be with my husband tonight can we just have this tonight and stop interrogating me?"_

_ He raised his brow, watching her for a moment, "So there IS something wrong." He noticed her face tightened as he left a soft kiss on her neck, "Lois... honey just tell me what's wrong? Is it work?" His brows furrowed as she stared at him with a clouded look, "Is it us?"_

_ She blinked once and sighed, "If we're not gonna have sex tonight I'm going to sleep. You can have the bed!" She tried getting up, using her hands to push him off, but Clark took her wrists and pinned them on the pillow beside her head. She squirmed to get him off, but it was no use, "CLARK!" She yelled out._

_ "Lois stop!" He exclaimed, pinning her down effortlessly while she fought to get out, "I'm not letting you go until you tell me what's wrong! I'm your husband I have a right to know don't close yourself off!" To that Lois stopped struggling and kept her eyes on his chest, "Don't close yourself off honey... talk to me. Please." He pleaded, looking down at her he felt her chest rising and falling slowly, her bottom lip quivered as tears pooled in her eyes._

_ She let out a sigh when she felt Clark let go of her wrists and she wrapped them around his neck, hugging him close as he hugged her back, "Clark..." She whispered as she breathed in deeply while Clark continued to hug her in silence. Lois refused to let the tears fall as she wiped them away, taking a deep breath, not wanting to let go of her husband for a second. He pulled himself away, wanting to look at her face as she traced his lips with her fingers. "A couple of days ago... I began having really bad stomach pains... like blinding pains that made me pass out." She noticed Clark looked alarmed as he gripped her tight, "I went to the doctor this morning and he asked me a bunch of questions... asking about my medical history... he asked if anyone suffered from cancer in the family..." She closed her eyes as she continued, "I told him about my mom... so he took some blood tests." She let out a deep sigh as she pulled Clark's face down and rested his forehead against hers, "There's a chance I might have..." She couldn't say it as she swallowed back the lump in her throat._

_ They remained silent for a long time before Clark broke it, "Lois look at me..." She slowly raised her eyes to his, "I love you... and you love me... whatever happens... we'll fight it. And for all you know you probably don't even have... I mean doctors ask about medical history all the time before a test, for all you know it's nothing-"_

_ "Clark he had that look" She said, "He had the same look my mother's doctors had when they knew there was nothing else they could do for her. When they knew that she wasn't going to survive. I know that look. That look has been embedded into my mind since I was a kid. And it's the same look this doctor gave me!" She continued to a shaky tone, "My mother died of lung cancer Clark... I used to smoke when I was a teenager it-it makes sense..." She winced to herself as she continued, "I was so stupid and irresponsible to not even consider the possibility that-"_

_ "Chances of inheriting lung cancer is VERY slim Lois-"_

_ "Yes but there's still a chance!" She exclaimed._

_ Clark sighed, holding her face in his hands, "Okay... if it's true... then I have no doubt you'll kick cancer's ass Lois. You're the strongest woman I know inside and out. You've been through so much and this is gonna be nothing okay." He swallowed hard as he tried to fight off the emotions. He knew Lois was scared out of her mind. He had to control his emotions. He couldn't let her know he was just as scared... he wasn't ready to lose her, "I'm not gonna lose you Lois Lane-Kent. I'm going to find a way... I'll fight like hell to keep you in my life until you're a thousand years old." Lois let out a soft chuckle, "Screw the odds... let's just live. Whatever happens, I'll be here for you Lois... every step of the way. It's me and you okay?"_

_ Her smile faded as she slowly blinked, "I'm gonna go bald..."_

_ He bit back his laugh as he kissed her forehead, "You'll be even sexier than you already are." Shaking his head, he took her legs and wrapped them around his waist, "And we don't even know what the test results are so we're not even gonna think about this until they have the results okay? And even when those results come, we're getting a second opinion... and then a third."_

_She rolled her eyes at him, "Let me guess... Emil and Jor-El?" He nodded proudly as he slid her shirt off, kissing every bit of her exposed skin._

"_I'm not gonna just take this doctor's word for it. For all we know... you're as healthy as a Kryptonian. We're in this together Lo. If you do have... you know..." He ran his hand through her thick locks, "Then I won't ever let you go. I'll be there when you fight it, and I'll be there when you survive it... because Lois Lane and Clark Kent aren't done yet." She tried to put on a smile for him as he leaned down and captured her lips as they made love._

_"I love you so much Smallville..."_

Lois smiled back at that memory, placing her hand flat against the coffin, as she remembered going into the doctor's office two days later, only to find out that she didn't have cancer, but that they were going to have a baby. And all their plans changed... they made new plans... plans that changed once again... plans she had to complete on her own. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, she slowly lifted the lid up, as she opened the casket, her breath hitched in her throat as she stared down at an empty casket... there was nothing inside. Lois slowly closed her eyes as a painful realization hit her.

Her arms dropped to her sides as she stared down at the empty casket, her hands balled into fists as she swallowed hard. After a while, she heard footsteps behind her, "Lois?" She slowly turned around and saw Bruce staring back at her with mournful eyes, walking towards her, looking back at the empty casket. He sighed as he looked back at Lois, who was holding back tears, pressing her lips together.

She held in a sob as she managed to speak hoarsely, "Clark is dead."

He furrowed his brows at her as he nodded cautiously, "Yes..." Stepping towards her, he spoke softly, "Oliver told me what happened..." She let out a deep breath as her tears pooled in her eyes. After a moment of silence, Bruce took a deep breath, "Lois-"

"I know you don't understand me...I don't understand me. I wanted to show him compassion... I wanted to feel compassion again." Lois shook her head, "You don't understand what Clark Luthor means to me... when I'm with him... it's not just about the resemblance... he has a good heart... I can feel it, because it's also like Clark Kent's heart. He has that in him... it's just been blocked off by everything he's been through... everything Lionel put him through. I just... I wanted to show him compassion."

Bruce slowly nodded, "Okay..."

She wiped her tears away, taking a deep, shaky breath, "But it makes no difference... no matter how much I care about him...he's not Clark Kent. Once we find that mirror box... we might get my Clark back." Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to speak, "But even if we do... there's a chance he's still... dead. And when that happens... I have to learn to accept that. I have to learn... to live my life without him. And this time... it'll be okay. I can't... I can't try and bring him back like this. I told myself that I couldn't be left behind one more time... and it's happening all over again... but it was all because of me. I did this to myself." Looking at nothing in particular, Lois sighed, "Chloe was right... this isn't the way it's supposed to be... I shouldn't be cheating destiny with Clark Luthor."

Bruce stared back at her with sympathy as she fought back the urge to break down. He wrapped his arms around her as she leaned her head against his shoulder, breathing deeply while Bruce held her close, "I don't even know what to say..."

"Say you don't hate me... for moving on like this."

He pressed his lips together as he rubbed her back, "I could never hate you."

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

After hours of driving, Chloe had finally gotten to her destination as she parked her car in front of the loft. Staring up at the red barn for a long while, she took a deep breath and unbuckled her seat belt, and got out of the car.

Slowly walking up the stairs, she smiled back at the many memories she had shared with her best friend in this loft,

_"I know how much you've dreamt of having a bland mundane generic life but... being normal is highly overrated" She gave a small sheepish smile as they sat on the steps of the loft, as Clark wore a distant, stern look. She continued with a small smile as she admitted shyly, "Besides, it makes my whole sidekick role a lot easier if you can bring super duper strength to the table." She grinned back at him, noticing he had no reaction, "I mean not that we didn't make a great team out there today..."_

She slowly grazed the wooden railing as she remembered their first true conversation they had about Clark's powers and the burden of his secret he held once they were restored by Jor-El... but came with a price. A price that Clark had to carry with him for the rest of his life since his father died.

Many voices emanated, many memories flashed through her mind as she stood in the middle of the loft, staring out the window, out at the Kent farm,

_"The important thing is your life is everything you want it to be..." He said as they danced together in the loft on her wedding day._

_With a glowing smile, Chloe replied, "It is... it's like I've been carrying around this weight and... I don't know why but a few days ago it's like I finally let go... I can move on." She noticed a saddness reflecting on his face, and a form of loss... little did she know Clark felt as though he had lost his best friend the day he took away the memories of knowing his powers._

Slowly stepping over the wooden floor, Chloe stopped when she found the loose floorboard, bending down, she lifted it up, and picked up the black box, with all of Clark's Kryptonian possessions.

_"I can't be Watchtower anymore, I've already been the ghost in the machine before. I can't do it again." She turned to face him as she was ready to say her goodbye, ready to leave behind the life she once knew and start over in Star City. _

_"You know you've always been much more than that to me." Clark replied, walking up to her._

_With a brave smile on her face, she nodded with content, and nostalgia, "I know... you know in every epic tale there's alway one person that believes in the hero who helps inspire him to greatness." With a slight shake of her head, Chloe stepped towards him, "Maybe it wasn't just a fluke with you. I've been thinking that's my true calling, finding heroes and helping them realize their true potential beyond the reach of Watchtower. You're not alone Clark Kent..." _

_They both leaned against the loft window as Chloe spoke of her globetrotting experiences, the people she's met, and the future she plans to pursue, "I always knew you were destined for big things Chloe" He swallowed back the lump in his throat, feeling sentimental of their goodbye, "And I know no matter what we'll still be in each other's lives."_

_"You know I'll always be here for you... you know that right?"_

_With a slight smile, Clark nodded, "I do."_

Taking, a slow, deep breath, she picked up the octagonal disc and held it out in front of her, gripping the Kryptonian key tightly in her hand, she stood up again, leaving the loft behind, Chloe got in her car and drove towards the Kawatche caves.

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><p><em>Metropolis<em>

Clark continued to stare back at the wedding photo on top of the fireplace, watching the love shown in Lois' eyes, her beauty emanating from the white gown she wore, ignoring the fact that it wasn't him that had his arms wrapped around her, it wasn't him in that picture... but... just for a brief moment... he pretended it was. He pretended it was him who she said 'I do' to. It was him who she had loved for over a decade of her life. It was him who she had a son with... just for a moment. He didn't flinch as he heard the door being opened and closed. As he heard footsteps behind him, he slowly turned around, seeing Lois looking back at him with sorrow in her eyes, as she dropped her bag beside her feet, a smile slowly appeared on her face, and he couldn't help but return that faint smile back, "Hi." She said softly.

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "Hey." It was awkward for a moment as they stood in silence, unsure of what to say to one another.

"We need to talk." Lois said, swallowing hard.

With a slight nod, ignoring the pain he felt shooting into his chest, he agreed, "I know."

**TBC...**


	39. Where I Stood

I know it's been a while, real life has taken me away from my writing time, but I haven't forgotten about this fic:)

Thank you all for the reviews and keep em' comingg:)!

Here's the next chapter to the installement Enjoy!

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><p><strong><span>Chapter 39: Where I Stood- Missy Higgins<span>**

**_I don't know what I've done. Or if I like what I've begun. But something told me to run and honey you know me it's all or none. There were sounds in my head. Little voices whispering, that I should go and this should end, Oh and I found myself listening. See I thought love was black and white. That it was wrong or it was right. But you ain't leaving without a fight, and I think I am just as torn inside. I won't be far from where you are if ever you should call. You meant more to me than anyone I ever loved at all, but you taught me how to trust myself and so I say to you, this is what I have to do_**

_**'Cos I don't know who I am, who I am without you. All I know is that I should. And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you. All I know is that I should. 'Cos she will love you more than I could. She who dares to stand where I stood. Oh, she who dares to stand where I stood**_

_Metropolis- A few minutes earlier_

Slowing the car down to a stop in front of the entrance, Bruce turned back to Lois who continued to look forward. The car ride had been silent, which was odd for Lois as she didn't sit well with uncomfortable silences. At least not the Lois he knew. This Lois... it seemed silence was her best friend, and she embraced it rather than fought against it with her rambling. With a sigh, he reached out and held her hand, "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked in a soft voice.

Lois blinked once, and squeezed his hand with both of hers, with a nod, she replied, "Yeah... I know what I have to do... I know everything now and... I'm going to need to deal with this on my own" Turning her head to look up at her building, she let out a deep breath, "I need to... I need to let go." Closing her eyes, she brought his hand up to her lips, and kissed the back of it gently as Bruce held his breath. Swallowing hard, she let go of his hand, "You've done so much for me Bruce. Being there for me whenever I need you... I can't even begin to say thank you."

Bringing his hand up again, he brushed his fingers against her cheek, "So don't... I told you I'll always be here. You're not gonna lose me."

With a small smile, she leaned in and kissed his cheek, Bruce involuntarily closed his eyes and breathed in her cherry scent, leaning against her lips. As she pulled away, he opened his eyes again, "Goodnight" She whispered as she got out of the car.

His heart ached as he watched her fade away into the building, pushing down the ache in his chest where Lois belonged; he started up his car and began to drive towards his penthouse.

Clark continued to stare back at the wedding photo on top of the fireplace, watching the love shown in Lois' eyes, her beauty emanating from the white gown she wore, ignoring the fact that it wasn't him that had his arms wrapped around her, it wasn't him in that picture... but... just for a brief moment... he pretended it was. He pretended it was him who she said 'I do' to. It was him who she had loved for over a decade of her life. It was him who she had a son with... just for a moment. He didn't flinch as he heard the door being opened and closed. As he heard footsteps behind him, he slowly turned around, seeing Lois looking back at him with sorrow in her eyes, as she dropped her bag beside her feet, a smile slowly appeared on her face, and he couldn't help but return that faint smile back, "Hi." She said softly.

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "Hey." It was awkward for a moment as they stood in silence, unsure of what to say to one another.

"We need to talk." Lois said, swallowing hard.

With a slight nod, ignoring the pain he felt shooting into his chest, he agreed, "I know."

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><p><em>Bruce's Metropolis Penthouse<em>

After dropping Lois off at her place, Bruce couldn't keep his mind off the one woman who created light in his dark life. He let out a long sigh as he walked into his empty home, a home with no family to return to, and no soul mate to be waiting for him. While walking through his door, Bruce truly felt the emptiness in his life, coming home to no one; at least back at home he had Alfred. As he stepped further into the penthouse, Bruce unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, running his fingers through his hair. He swallowed hard as he looked into his dim lit home, walking towards the bar, he threw his jacket on the armchair, as he poured himself a bottle of fifty year old bourbon. Swallowing the entire drink in one gulp, he poured himself another, quenching in the burning sensation, along with the news of his best friend's disappearance... and the possibility that Clark could come back. Taking a sip, he walked over to the living room, and seated himself in front of the unlit fireplace, reflecting back on everything that had happened. Bruce continued to relished in the idea of having him back, his closest friend who had helped him see the light when there was nothing but darkness in his life, the man who had fought by his side through his inner demons, the man who was his partner in saving the world on a daily basis, the man who was dedicated to the woman he loved. A sudden sadness overwhelmed him as he thought back to the moment when he had lost his best friend to Doomsday, the moment when he vowed to himself, that he would repay the duty of taking care of Clark's family, to be there for his wife and unborn child, when Clark Kent couldn't be. He hoped it would be his redemption for not being able to protect the father-to- be from his untimely fate. And somewhere along the way, with much shame, Bruce realized the implications of what it meant to fall in love with your dead best friend's wife... who's husband might possibly still be alive. Bruce let out a long sigh as he let his head drop, with a small smile appearing on his lips at the brief thought of Lois being happy again. Truly happy.

As Bruce felt his nostalgia in isolation, his brows twitched as he sensed another presence in the room. He wasn't alone. Cautiously raising his head, he looked towards the direction he heard mild breathing which became clearer. Narrowing his eyes, he spoke in a low, menacing tone, "Who's there..."

A brief moment of silence which was replied with a soft, sinister chuckle, as he heard heels slowly stepping against his floor towards him as the figure came into view, "No matter how much I try... your bat senses always seem to beat me" She said with her hands on her hips, wearing a smirk on her face, "Except for those first few encounters we had in Gotham..."

Bruce pursed his lips at the woman and looked down at his glass, slowly tilting it to one side, then the other, "I thought you were busy ripping the pockets off of the rich in Tokyo"

The woman smiled as she walked around the armchair, brushing the back of it with her nails, "Nothing gets past you now does it Bruce" She said in a sly tone as she came to stand in front of him, as he took her in, wearing knee high stiletto boots, with a tight black turtle neck dress.

Swallowing hard, Bruce's eyes roamed down her body, towards his glass of bourbon again, "What are you doing here Selina?"

She took a slow, deep breath as she sat herself down on the glass coffee table in front of him, "I decided to come back to Gotham to practise my... extracurricular activities..." She shrugged, "I wanted to play" With that, Selina flipped her long, dark hair while leaning back, "But imagine my disappointment when I find myself crossing paths with an Amazon Princess sporting her all American colors at me... Instead of going head to head with the bat. It's no fun when my opponent isn't in the same playing field as me." He smirked as she rolled her eyes, "So I was curious as to why you decided to take a break from protecting Gotham, and making yourself at home in Metropolis." She stared back at him for a long moment while the corner of her lips twitched up, "And I missed you Bruce..." She said softly, a smile forming on her face.

Bruce stared back at her green eyes for a long moment without a word being said, swallowing hard, he replied, "A lot's happened since the last time we saw each other"

She nodded, "Well why don't you catch me up then..." She took his glass from him and took a sip, "Start with why the hell you're here in Metropolis and leaving Gotham in the hands of _Wonder Woman_" She said the name with a tone of disgust to which Bruce had to chuckle to.

He pursed his lips with a small smile, "Fair enough" He began telling her of the League, and the battle they had gone through with Doomsday, which led to the death of Superman, of his best friend, to the point when he promised to look after his family for him, to hopefully fill that void for Lois, and along the way, in those two years he had spent being there FOR Clark... he had fallen in love with Lois Lane, and falling in love with her son just as much, yearning for that family, yearning for Lois to see him the way he saw her. Bruce then began explaining about the mirror box, and how Lois had activated it to see Clark again, only that it wasn't her Clark, but Clark Luthor. Selina listened intently as he spoke of Clark Luthor, his origins, the differences between him and Kent, to the relationship he had formed with Lois, and what he had found out about Clark Kent from Oliver... that his body is now missing because of the box.

Once he finished, Selina nodded, staring deep into his eyes, with a small smirk, she replied, "So you fell for your best friend's wife" She chuckled, "Classic" He sighed back at her, as she bit her bottom lip, "I gotta say... As much as I sympathize for Lois and what she's been through... I feel more for Clark Luthor."

Bruce's head snapped up at that, "Why?" He asked with astonishment

Selina rolled her eyes at his reaction, "Because... I find he's the one who has everything to lose at this point. He comes into this world with a dark past, with a darkness inside of him, and being with Lois changed that, she turned his life around, and he fell in love with her. I mean once you guys find that mirror box, he's going to have to start over, he won't have any say in what he wants, because Lois Lane and Clark Luthor's fate is inevitable... they were never meant to be, but Lois has the chance to have closure, but for Luthor..." She looked down at her hands, outlining the rim of the glass, "He's losing the one person who believed in him, he's losing the only person he loves, the one person who sees past his imperfections, to something he can't control."

Bruce tilted his head at her, "Well we haven't found the box yet, I mean who knows when it'll show up, so they can live in their bliss until then..." He said with sarcasm, turning his head to stare out the panoramic window.

She lifted her head to look back at him, "You don't get it do you?" He turned back to face her, "Now that her cousin's made Lois face the ugly truth, do you really think they can go back to being happy with each other?" She shrugged, "Now that it's out there that Clark Kent is missing because of her, I doubt Lois is going to pretend she's moving on anymore, and who gets screwed? Clark Luthor. Cause he's finally opened his heart to someone, and he's the one who gets hurt the most. And because of that... Lois is gonna punish herself for feeling this way for him by turning her back on them."

He narrowed his eyes at her when he noticed the passion in her voice, "Why are you defending him so much?" He asked with curiosity.

Bruce noticed the corners of her mouth curve upwards as she leaned in and took his hand in hers, gently stroking the back of it with her thumb, "Maybe cause I know what it feels like to meet someone you didn't expect to, have them change your life forever... and have to leave it behind cause of something I can't control." She swallowed hard as she looked up at him, boring her green eyes into his dark ones.

He stared back at her for a long moment as they sat there in silence. Once he found his voice, he said in a soft whisper, "Why are you here Selina?"

Smiling back at him, she replied, "I told you... I missed you."

His eyes fluttered as he slipped his hand out of her grip, "You know... the last time I saw you, you were ready to leave this... us, behind. And you were gone for five years... it's been _five years_ Selina. And for a long time I didn't want to accept it, but along the line I came to realize you were right, that we can't work because of who we are... You didn't leave cause of something you couldn't control... you left cause you made a choice."

"I can't help who I am Wayne... and neither can you. But I've changed... I'm not the same person I was five years ago."

He ran his fingers through his dark hair, "We've been through this Selina... people don't change." He smirked, "You know at the end of the day, you are who you are, and it's probably who you've always been."

Her lips parted as she gave a small smile, "Throwing my words back at me huh?" She nodded, "Touché" He grinned at her, to which she smiled back, "I know what I said, but I never stopped thinking about you since I left... and I realized I don't wanna run anymore. I want to come home"

His grin faded as Bruce shook his head at her, "Look... there's a reason we could never work... as long as you're Catwoman we can't-" He stopped as she stood up, walking towards the window.

"I know you're going through a lot Bruce... and I know I haven't been there for... a long time. And the last time we saw each other we were fighting against either end of the law... but that's over now. I'm going back to Gotham... and I want you to come with me." She turned back to him, "I know you still feel something for me... cause I never stopped. I just knew it wasn't our time."

"And you think now's the time..." He said, while looking straight ahead.

Smiling back at him, Selina replied, "I'm not going anywhere this time. I told you, I've changed, I left cause I knew I wasn't the kind of person you deserved. But I finally became the person worthy of you. So when you do decide to come back to Gotham... I'll be waiting." Bruce sat there in silence, taking in her words, as he took a deep breath, he turned to see nothing but an empty space where she stood, as the breeze blew past the curtains.

Bruce smirked to himself at that, "Still the same old tricks at least."

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><p>A tear escaped the corner of her eye as Lois wiped it away, turning her head to the side, unable to look at him, she shook her head with a slight shrug, "I don't even know how to explain..." Looking down at the floor, she shifted her weight from one leg to the other, "I guess I knew this time would always come at some point... something happened today Clark. And it... changed everything for me. I found something out and it opened my eyes to what was really going on, with us, with everything." With a sniff, she raised her head to look up at him, unable to read his face as he stared back at her in silence. Looking around the room once more, she asked in a soft tone, "Where's Chris?"<p>

He couldn't take his eyes off her, her beauty was something he just couldn't get over, but it was her face, her broken face which created that ache in his chest, realizing that something had happened today... something that was going to change everything. It took him a while to find his voice, and when he spoke, it was in a strained tone, "He's sleeping." He simply said.

With a nod, Lois walked past him in silence to her son's room, checking on her boy to make sure he was okay. She smiled down at his sleeping form, gently stroking the top of his head, she watched him, warm, safe, loved... unaware of the heartbreak his mother was going through. Swallowing hard, she left his room, leaving the door a crack open as she returned to the living room where Clark Luthor was, "Can I get you anything?"

She noticed the corner of his mouth twitch as he shook his head, "You don't have to treat me like an acquaintance Lois... we both know we're way past that."

Clenching her jaw, holding back her pain, she nodded with a weak smile, "You're right..."

He sighed as he lowered himself on the couch, "You know I've gone through a great ordeal of things in my life... but... meeting you had been the best thing that's ever happened to me. I've fallen in love with you Lois... you were like coming up for fresh air. It's like I was drowning and you saved me." Lois closed her eyes at his words, the ache in her chest returned, only this wasn't for Clark Kent, this was for Clark Luthor.

"Clark-"

"And I know you feel the same way..."

Taking a deep breath, Lois walked to the couch and sat herself down beside him, clasping her hands together as she stared back at him, while Clark looked straight, "You did save me... in every way possible..."

He didn't show any emotion as he turned his head to face her, staring back into her hazel eyes, "But..."

Her eyes fluttered as she stared back at him, unable to read him, but all the more knowing the cold truth they were both facing, "We're from two different worlds... and we've been so caught up with what we feel for one another that we forgot the reason you're here... the reason why I activated that mirror box in the first place..."

Pressing his lips together, Clark gave a slight nod as he said his name under his breath, "Kent..." He gave a smirk as he sat in silence with her, and spoke again, "You know, in all my time staying here, I never wanted to admit it before... but I don't see any harm in doing it now." He swallowed hard, "I can't tell you how much... I want it. How much I wish it had been Martha and Jonathan Kent who had found me that day in the cornfield, I envy Kent's life. He got it all, he got the amazing, loving parents, who showed him the values of compassion, he got the girl... and he will always have the girl, even when he's not here himself." Lois' lips parted as she wanted to say something, but couldn't find her voice in the midst of his confession, "You have no idea how badly I want this... I want his life, and I want it without thinking whether it makes sense or not." He focused his sight on Chris' batman figurine toy lying on the floor, "But I know all you can see is someone I can't be for you."

Lois shook her head, taking his face in her hand as she turned him to face her, "That's not true... You mean so much to me Clark... don't ever see yourself as anything less than that." She stroked his cheek with her thumb, "You fixed something in me that I thought would be forever broken... and that's something I'll never forget. But... we've been pretending to live a life that wasn't meant to be..." Swallowing hard, Lois spoke in a shaky tone, "I've been pretending... that I could go backwards, back to my old life when I had my Clark. I thought I could replace that with you and that wasn't fair. I know you think all I see in you is Clark Kent... and that's not true, I still see you for who you are, but at the same time, I do see parts of you that remind me of him... and I think that's what's drawn me to you."

With a sigh, Clark replied, "You know I want to hate you for making me feel this way..." Staring back into her eyes, he felt himself coming alive all over again, and breaking apart all at the same time, knowing this was it, "But I can't... I've fallen in love with you... and that's one thing I know that's real. What I feel is real Lois... and I don't wanna let you go." With a shake of his head, he replied, "Not ever."

Lois couldn't tear her eyes away from him as she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, Clark closed his eyes, capturing her lips in his as he brought his hand up to hold her face. A brief moment later, Lois pulled away, leaning her forehead against his, taking a slow deep breath, "I just came back from Watchtower... there's something you need to know..." Clark pulled away to see her face as she hesitated before continuing, "The night I... activated that mirror box... something else happened, something other than the fact that it brought you here." Clark furrowed his brows in confusion as he listened, "Clark Kent... his body disappeared along with the mirror box. You know how the mirror box is trapped in another dimension of the universe... the border between Earth-1 and Earth-2" Although he nodded, she couldn't read his blank face as there were tears in Lois' eyes, her bottom lip quivered as she spoke in a soft tone, "I think my Clark might be trapped in that world too... and when we get the mirror box back... there's a small chance he might come back... alive." She whispered the last word as she held back the sob rising in her chest.

Clark's lips parted as he stared back at her with wide eyes, unable to face the truth, the ugly truth of it all, "How did this happen..." He spoke with uncertainty, and a surprising calm manner, while his heart began to shatter, feeling his world crumble around him.

She swallowed back the lump in her throat, shaking her head, "I don't know..."

Lois watched Clark Luthor as he blinked slowly, feeling a certain numbness inside of him, like time was moving in slow motion, that they had more time... there had to be more time, "Before... you didn't care if they ever found the mirror box. You didn't want it to be found did you?" She nodded her head, with tears pooled in her eyes, daring to fall, "And now that... there's a chance to get your husband back..." He couldn't finish that sentence.

Pressing her quivering lips together, Lois took his hands in hers, gripping them as hard as she could, "There's a small chance he might be alive, but also a chance he may never come back to me... now that I know this... I want to find the mirror box now more than ever." Her voice cracked as she held her breath to keep herself from breaking down. She didn't want to do this to him. She loved him. No one will ever understand it, but she did love Clark Luthor... but it's nothing compared to how much she loves Clark Kent. Clark Luthor stared down at their hands, unable to speak, "I want to find my Clark, I want him to come back, whether he's still alive or not... but now that I've realized that... I can't do this with you anymore" Leaning her face against his, "I do love you Clark... but it's not the same"

It was the first time he heard her say she loved him, and it created a pain in his chest he couldn't explain, a pain he couldn't bring himself to escape. His eyes glistened as he leaned the side of his head against hers, "Lois... I can't... I can't go back... I can't live in a world where you don't love me."

Lois pulled away and placed her hand against his cheek, "When... _if_ you do end up going back to Earth-2, your Lois Lane will be there waiting for you. She's the one you're meant to be with, she's the one who needs you, and it was cruel, and selfish of me to take you away from her..."

Clark shook his head with a slight chuckle under his breath, "I was never hers... she despises me for what I did to Oliver, she sees me the same way the rest of the world sees me. She doesn't know me the way you do, she's not you..." He spoke softly as he wiped her tears away from her face.

Lois couldn't help but give him a warm smile, "You clearly don't know her well enough. From what I can tell she seems to be a universal being. You said it yourself you don't know her enough... maybe this is why you were brought here... to me. So you can go back and make things right with Earth-2 Lois... cause I know she's your soul mate... and you two have quite a life to build together. Trust me Clark, she'll love you more than I ever could." Holding back her tears, Lois ignored the ache in her heart as she smiled back at him, "And I know more than anyone you're worthy of a second chance..."

Clark kept his ears focused in her heartbeat, that beat that has kept him alive this whole time, that heartbeat that was music to his ears, that kept him complete. He didn't want to let her go, he hoped they would never find the mirror box, he hoped they'd never find Clark Kent, that Kent would never come back and take away the one life that was worth living for... with Lois and Chris. All he could picture was living the rest of their lives together, moving forward, getting married in a small chapel with little Chris as the ring bearer, and a far future where they had children of their own, brothers and sisters along with Chris to complete... to create the family, the life he never knew he always wanted until now... the life that was already slipping away from him. But Clark Luthor know she was right, if they had continued living on like this... it would all be a lie, and no matter how happy he made her, he would always know it'd never be enough... he would never be able to fill that void reserved for Clark Kent. He never wanted to let her go... but he realized this was something he couldn't control, "So what now..." He whispered with fear laced in his voice.

She stared back at him for a long moment, and nobody said a word for a very long time.

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><p><strong>To Be Continued...<strong>

**Please leave your reviews xox :)!**


	40. I Can Barely Say

Thank you alll so much for the reviews once again I really appreciate it and all your thoughts are interesting I see alot of different thoughts on the CL/LL/CK train

Warning this chapter is pretty sad

Enjoy the chapterr and please don't be shy to leave me some more reviewss and I love honestyy:D!

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><p><strong>Chapter 40: I Can Barely Say- The Fray<strong>

_**I wanted to run, I wanted to love and be loved in return. But will I ever get back, do I know too much to return. I've been gone so long, I can barely say, all I know is now I wanna stay. Has it been too long since I went away? Cause I'm trying to find the words but I can barely say.**_

Clark Luthor stared out the windows, into the city of Metropolis of Earth-1, a city he never thought he'd come to call his home. A home he was not ready to let go of... a home without her. He swallowed hard when he heard her footsteps coming up behind him. He remained silent as Lois stood with her hands in her back pockets, suddenly feeling cold. Staring back at his figure, she hesitated before speaking, "I think I should go..." She said in a husky tone.

He whisked around at that, staring back at her with confused eyes, "What?"

Her lips parted as she pushed back the horrible feeling she felt for needing to leave him behind, "It's the best thing to do for right now... we're both in so deep that if I don't leave now..." She shook her head, "I don't think I ever will... and that wouldn't be right... that wouldn't be fair for either of us cause I'm just holding on to something that neither of us could give to each other."

Clark stared back at her for a long moment, before closing the distance between them, taking her face in his hands, he pierced his azure eyes into her hazel ones, and witnessed her fire, her determination to make things right, "I don't want anything from you... I just want you."

She let out a breath she had not realized she was holding, "I'm not what you want Clark..."

"Yes you are. Lois... you have no idea what you mean to me. It's there now. Even if I want to erase it I can't... I can't erase what we've already made it's inside of me. You gave me that feeling, that feeling that I'm worth something... that I'm actually someone worth believing in. I can't just let that go... what if I never find someone like you again?!"

Lois tilted her head against his touch, taking in a deep breath, "Do you remember the night you ended up in this world? In the farmhouse?"

He smiled back at her, "When you tried attacking me with a baseball bat..."

She chuckled under her breath, "When I first heard your voice I thought... I thought my entire world was coming back together..." Covering his hands with hers, she continued, "I thought you were Clark Kent... and you came back to me from some miracle. But you weren't him... and at first I was disappointed... but after all these months together... I was falling for the boy who had nothing but hatred in his heart, the boy who loved no one... I think for some reason, you were supposed to come here... and see the life you COULD have back in Earth-2."

Clark shook his head, "Don't do that... don't tell me that I can still have a life just like this one with someone else... there's only you Lois... there's only you and Chris, you can't be replaced."

Her lips parted, "Clark... you don't belong to me. You belong to her... the other Lois."

He looked down and grabbed her hands in his, "Do you regret it... bringing me here..."

Lois stayed silent until he lifted his head to face her, with a warm smile, which met her eyes, she replied, "Not for a second... You've made me so happy. You mended my broken heart; and I will always be grateful for that... But having you here cost me my husband... he's gone now... I guess that's the cruel irony of what I've done... of who I'm hurting, and the fact that I'm betraying myself for thinking we could have something together, when... what I really want is my Clark... I want my husband back. And I should've never kept you here because of that... after everything that's happened."

Clark swallowed back the lump in his throat, "I just... I can't help but think how different my life could've been if I opened my eyes to what truly mattered, instead of holding my grudge against Lionel and Oliver... maybe I would've taken the time to be a better person for my Lois." He shook his head to himself, "I was cheated out of my past and now I'm being cheated out of my future... if I had made better choices I'd be looking forward to going home... to Earth-2 but I didn't Lois... I have nothing to go home to, I have nothing back there for me. The Earth-2 Lois sees me as a heartless bastard and who could blame her? I manipulated her to sell her share of Queen Industries and make her ex-husband go broke, I fired her from her dream job, I shredded her dignity... Why would anybody give me a second chance?! I mean why should I let go of the one thing that matters to me?! Cause of Kent?!" He grabbed her arms in a tight grip and brought her close, "Why does he get to have the best of life?! Why do I have to give you up because of him?! Lois you don't even know if he'll even come back to you! Why do I have to give you up to something that you're not even sure is possible?!"

Lois could see the fierceness in him, that he was ready to fight for her with all he's worth, putting her hand on his chest, she felt his heart beating against her palm, "Listen to me Clark..." She spoke in a calm manner, "When my Clark died I thought I had nothing else to lose. Cause he was my whole life. He filled over a decade of it and I loved every moment I spent with him throughout those years... and every time I look into our son's eyes, it breaks my heart to know that he'll never get to know his father. I thought I needed you to remember him, but I now realize all I need is my own memories for Chris to know his father, and that'll help me to move forward with my life." She felt his grip loosen on her arms and her heart broke as stared back at his deeply saddened expression, "Yes, unfortunately Clark Kent did get the better life, and he made different choices based on his upbringing, but Clark, you have a chance to make things right again. I would never blame you for the choices you've made now that I know the person you are... and the reasons behind your choices. You have the chance for redemption, and if the Lois Lane from Earth-2 has any sense of consciousness, then she would find redemption in you. I think it's safe to say I know her better than anyone, and even though you were an ass to her..." Lois smiled as she saw a slight smirk appear on his face, "She has room in her heart for second chances, and I'm telling you Clark she's waiting for you. She's waiting for the love of her life to sweep her up and change her world for the better, to make her as happy as my Clark has made me, that feeling you get when you're willing to die for someone. You can be that person for her. Now that you know ME... I have no doubt you know exactly how to steal her heart, and keep it safe, cause I know you're capable of that, cause deep down, you DO love her, just like I love Clark Kent. And I'll wait a lifetime for my Clark... and if there's the slightest chance of getting him back, then it's a chance I'm willing to take, and even if I can't..." Her voice cracked as she held back her sob, "Then I need to truly move on from him... instead of holding on to a memory of what I could've had and stealing your destiny away from you." She swallowed hard, "I know you're scared, I know... it's hard to go back to a place and feel that loneliness again, that feeling of not having someone to love you back. But remember... You'll never be alone Clark. It'll just take some time."

Clark stayed silent for a long moment, and Lois waited patiently as he leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes, he took her face in his hands, "The most... important part of my life, was the time I spent with you and your son." Lois blinked once as she took in his words, "I needed you. To remember... to remember how it felt to be loved..." He sighed, their lips a mere inches apart as Lois' breathing hitched, "I hope you find what you're looking for Lois... cause you deserve it, you deserve the best."

Lois swallowed so loud as she brought her hands up to clutch his arms, "I think you're giving me too much credit."

He shook his head with a soft chuckle, "I'm not giving you enough... I've loved you from the start. And if what you want from me is to let go... I'll do that for you... but there'll be no one else but you..."

"You know that's not true... give her a chance Clark. She could be the best thing that could ever happen to you."

Stroking her hair, he replied, "There's also a chance I might never be able to go back... but if I do go back... I hope we get what we want." Tears welled up in her eyes as she nodded, then without a second thought, Lois took his head, and pulled him down to capture his lips, as they kissed feverishly, with their passion igniting for the other, as Clark's arms encircled her waist, pulling her close to his body so that there was no more space between them, while Lois ran her fingers through his hair, as they nibbled, and kissed like there was no tomorrow... and there wouldn't be. As they pulled apart, Lois gasped for breath while Clark's lips lingered along her skin, kissing her cheek, and the tear that escaped her eye.

* * *

><p><em>Fortress of Solitude<em>

Chloe's bottom lip trembled as she walked through the crystal palace full of ice, and snow. Hugging herself with her arms, she walked towards an empty space in the Fortress, as she looked up at the ice crystals above her, "JOR-EL!" She called out, and waited, but received no response, "It's me, Chloe!" She called out, but only heard a faint echo, "Look I know you might not be my biggest fan right now, but I need you help..." She continued to hear her own voice being projected off the walls, "I understand you know a way to get the mirror box back... and you need a human vessel in order to do it..." Still no answer, out of frustration, Chloe called out, "Listen! I know I made a mistake! I lied to everyone around me about Clark... And I'm here to make things right! If we find the mirror box we can find Clark! I'm sure of it! We can find your son... I can help bring your son back."

At that, Chloe stumbled as she felt the power of the Fortress coming to life, and the crystals around her glowed. Her eyes widened at the sight and jumped as she heard his voice boom throughout the Fortress, _"How do you expect to bring my son back Ms. Sullivan..."_

She finally had his attention, taking a deep breath, Chloe stood up straight and spoke in a calm manner, "You once told Kara that the only way to bring back the mirror box would be to transform the Fortress back into the Crystal of Knowledge and use a human vessel to help generate it... what purpose does that fulfill?"

After a brief pause, Jor-El answered, _"By using the crystal, I may be able to travel through the galaxies of time and space. As the mirror box is stuck between the border world of Earth-1 and Earth-2, I may be able to find it... but I need a human vessel to use... a physical form to store my artificial intelligence in to be able to control the crystal of knowledge."_

Chloe nodded, letting it sink in, as she raised her head, she called out to him, "I'll be the vessel." There was no answer at first, as Chloe spoke through her teeth, "Jor-El use me as the vessel I can handle it! Use me to track down the mirror box, and if we find it, use me to track down Clark, if he's lost in another world you can find him!"

_"This is a very dangerous task you are offering Ms. Sullivan. There is a reason your team has not considered using themselves as a vessel... there is only so much the human brain can take. Are you sure you are ready to take that risk?"_

She closed her eyes, and nodded, "I need to make things right, I've done enough to my family, and I'm doing this all for your grandson, he needs his father, and you're the only person who can bring him back... so yes. It's a risk I'm willing to take for Chris... and Lois."

There was a long moment of silence that Chloe had thought he'd shut himself off from her, until he finally answered, _"Very well. It starts now."_

Chloe nodded, taking a step back, "I'm ready." She turned to see a crystal pillar emerge from the ground, towards her. All the crystals glowed a bright white, except for one crystal that stood out from the rest, a blue crystal, "Is this it? What do I do?"

_"You must use this to deactivate the Fortress, and store my intelligence inside of you."_ She nodded as she approached the crystal, "_Good luck Ms. Sullivan."_ She looked up at the invisible source of the voice of the AI. Turning back to the blue crystal, Chloe wrapped her slender fingers around it, her body trembled for a bit, before she finally found the courage to pull it out, and suddenly, the ground shook before her, as if she was in the middle of an earthquake, the crystal pillars of the Fortress started to fall around her, as Chloe tried to find protection, while holding the blue crystal in her hand, while the Fortress began to crumble.

Suddenly she stopped as a bright white light shot through her, Chloe screamed out, but went numb as the light went through her, as it glowed brighter and brighter, towards the sky, as it became like a giant dome, taking over the Arctic. Suddenly, the white light imploded, and it was over. Chloe stood by herself, as she opened her eyes, they were completely black, not a single speck of white in her eyes, and suddenly, green Kryptonian symbols took over her brain like a computer, reflecting on her eyes, all those symbols running through her mind faster than a speeding bullet. She blinked once, and her eyes turned back to normal, and found herself standing in the middle of the Arctic Tundra, she looked around her, there was nothing but snow for miles and miles, the Fortress was nowhere to be found. Her brows furrowed as she looked down, and saw that she was holding the five sided Kryptonian crystal of knowledge. Looking back up, squeezing the crystal in her hand, Chloe sped off into the night in the blink of an eye, using super speed, back to Watchtower.

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><p><em>Metropolis<em>

She slowly put her jacket on, turning around she smiled as she saw Clark holding a now fully awake Chris in his arms, bouncing him up and down while shaking a stuffed bear in his face, which made the little boy giggle, snuggling closer to his chest. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards them, as Clark, looked back at her, "Where are you planning on going?"

With a long deep sigh, Lois replied, "We're gonna go to Smallville..."

He nodded, with comprehension, "Smallville... I guess that's where you two met... you and Kent."

A small smile formed on her lips as she nodded, "We knew each other best there"

"And I guess that was your nickname for him huh..." Her smile faltered as Lois tilted her head at him, "You called me Smallville once before... I guess I should've put two and two together then..." They didn't say anything for a while as Clark focused his attention back to Chris.

Lois stared back at them with a deep sadness in her heart, until her thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She turned to get the door and saw Kara standing on the other side, "Hey Lois... you ready to go?"

She nodded, "Yeah, just give us a minute..." She walked towards Clark and saw his face fall as the moment was here, she saw him hold Chris a little tighter in his arms, "We don't have to leave yet... you guys can spend a little more time if you want?" She offered.

Clark looked back at Chris and smiled back at those familiar blue eyes, "No... it's okay. It's for the best right?" She worried her bottom lip as he kissed Chris' cheek and hugged him close, "Goodbye buddy... I love you... and I'll miss you... so much." He swallowed hard as he felt the warmth from the boy in his heart, that feeling that will always stay with him. After a few moments, he handed Chris to Lois, while Chris was reluctant to at first, letting out a whimper before settling into his mother's arms. Clark sighed, as he stared into her eyes, the corner of his lips curved up, "I'll miss you too..." She smiled back at him, and leaned forward to brush a soft kiss against his cheek, as Clark closed his eyes, relishing in her touch for the last time.

As she pulled away, he saw the gleam in her eyes before she whispered a goodbye to him, and turned away to Kara, "Let's go."

Kara nodded out of respect and turned towards Clark, "I won't be gone for long"

He smirked back at her, "So you're my new babysitter now?"

She bit back her smile, "Maybe I'll do some patrolling for a bit... leave you alone with your thoughts till I come back..."

His jaw clenched as he gave a slight nod, "Thanks..." He said weakly, with a nod, Kara turned to leave out the door as Lois still stood before him, staring back at him for a long while.

With a small smile, Lois replied, "Don't give up hope Clark..." With that, Lois left with Kara, back to Smallville, as Clark Luthor was left alone in her home in Metropolis, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he held, as he felt that sob in his chest emerge, that empty feeling he felt without her... without their son.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville <em>

"Alright, are you two gonna be okay here?" Kara asked as they made a soft landing in front of the Kent house.

Lois shook her head with a smile, "Thank you Kara... But we'll be okay here. Is she..."

Kara nodded, "Don't worry, she's waiting for you."

Lois let out a soft sigh, "That's good, thanks again. Do you want to come in?"

The blonde Kryptonian shook her head, "No thanks, I have to get back to Metropolis, I don't want to leave my cousin alone." A feeling of guilt washed over her as Lois, looked down, she looked up as she felt Kara's hand on her shoulder, "You did the right thing Lois... don't ever doubt yourself." Lois nodded in understanding, as Kara, stroked her nephew's hair and kissed his cheek, "Goodnight Christopher." With that, Kara flew off into the night. Lois stared up into the sky for a long while until her son's squeals broke her out of her reverie.

"Come on Chris, let's go inside." She turned and knocked on the door, waiting for a response, when the door finally opened, Lois broke into a grin, while at the same time, tears filled her eyes as she was ready to break down in her arms.

"Lois..." She said in a soothing tone as she took her in her arms, stroking her back as the tears fell down her face.

"Hi Martha..." Lois managed to say.

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><p><strong>To Be Continued:)<strong>


	41. Almost Lover

Enjoyy:) I'm finallly getting back in the game the chapters are coming along the editing process alot faster noww woohooo!

Thanks again for the reviewss!

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><p><strong>Chapter 41: Almost Lover- A Fine Frenzy<strong>

_**Goodbye, my almost lover. Goodbye, my hopeless dream. I'm trying not to think about you. Can't you just let me be? So long, my luckless romance. My back is turned on you. I should've known you'd bring me heartache. **_

_**Almost lovers always do.**_

_Metropolis_

Clark looked down at the picture of Lois holding Chris he had in his hands. She was standing by the window, he guessed it was Christmas since Chris had a Santa hat on his head, as Lois held him close, both grinning at the camera. He had found it in a photo album, and decided to take it out, staring back at the smiling faces of the two people he couldn't bear to live without. Clutching the picture in his hand, he brought it to his lips, closing his eyes, trying to shut it off, shut off that new found emotion shooting through his body. He just wanted to shut it off, but there was no point, once you open your heart to someone, it'll always get crushed... always. And no matter how much he wished things were different... she would always love the other man. He wasn't enough. He would never be enough. But that was okay... cause at least she'd be happy... right? He just wanted to shut off that new found humanity she had ignited inside of him, where all he could do was care, care about her, there would be no one else he'd care about. His thoughts were interrupted as his super hearing heard Kara land lightly on the balcony, and walk into the room with caution.

With a smirk, he masked his feelings behind the man everyone knew him as. A Luthor, "You don't need to tip toe around like I'm a time bomb..."

Kara sighed and walked towards him, "How are you doing?"

He remained silent for a while before turning around with a stern face, ignoring her question, he replied, "Is Lois okay?"

She bit back her sympathetic smile as Kara stepped towards him, of course all he'd be concerned about was Lois, "Yes, her and Chris are fine, they're staying with Martha Kent."

His brows furrowed at that, "Kent's mom? I thought she lives in Washington..."

Kara nodded, "She does, but Lois asked me to bring her back... she sees Mrs. Kent as a mother figure, I guess she really needed some motherly advice."

Clark was deep in thought for a while, and tilted his head at Kara, "Did she... say anything to you..." It was a lingering question he'd hope she'd be oblivious to.

He sighed of relief at the shake of her head, "No, she was very quiet on the trip there... but I'm not an idiot Clark... I can guess what happened between you two."

He raised his eyebrow at her, "Did you know?" Kara blinked at that, confused at what he was asking, "Did you know Kent's body disappeared when I came here?"

Kara's lips parted as she clenched her jaw, "Not at first... but I did find out not much later... I eavesdropped on one of Chloe and J'onn's conversations and I found out that before Lois found the mirror box, Chloe and J'onn have been trying to revive Clark Kent's body without anyone's knowledge."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "Why didn't you tell Lois then? If you've known this whole time... why did you keep it from her? You're just as much to blame as the other two."

She hesitated, without knowing how to answer that, Kara shook her head, "I really couldn't tell you Clark... One moment, I'm completely committed to telling Lois, and the rest of the League and the next... I feel Chloe's determination, I really thought she knew what she was doing, and I decided to go along with it..." She sighed as she saw Clark clench his fists, "I'm sorry Clark..."

He smirked before walking towards the kitchen and pouring himself a glass of scotch... the scotch he and Lois had shared many times, "What are you sorry for? There's nothing to be sorry about, except the fact that I fell for a girl who never wanted me... and the sad part is I knew that. From the very beginning I knew exactly why I was here... and I let myself get caught in the moment and forget all about the mirror box, Earth-2, Kent, the League, everything. It was just the three of us in our own little world."

Kara tilted her head at him with much sorrow, seeing his pain as he took a big gulp of the scotch, "I don't think both of you meant for this to happen... it just... happened. I don't doubt that she cares about you deeply."

He gave a humourless chuckle, "Just not enough..." He whispered under his breath. Kara worried her bottom lip as she watched him, feeling helpless to her cousin's counterparts broken heart, "You know this would've been a lot bearable if you spilled the beans a lot sooner Kara... A LOT sooner. I mean he's your cousin... and you still kept your mouth shut. You're just as much to blame." He scoffed as he poured himself another glass, "If we knew FROM THE BEGINNING that Kent disappeared because of me, Lois and I would've never lived together, she would've actually worked harder to help find the mirror box instead of playing house with me." He huffed as rage took over and he threw the glass across the room, as it would've shattered through the wall, but Kara used her super speed to catch it with her hand.

She walked up to him calmly, "I know you're pissed right now... but you can't say you regret loving her... or any time you spent with her and Chris." With a tired sigh, she set the glass down on the kitchen island, "You will always be the man who was there for her, and got through to her, when none of us could. She was in a dark place, and even through parallel worlds, it was YOU, Clark, who helped her out of it. I'm telling you, Lois and Clark are meant to be no matter what universe they're from..."

He stared back at her for a long while before turning away, "Enough Kara... this isn't an after school special"

She bit back her smirk with a roll of her eyes as she followed him towards the living room, as he picked up Chris' toys that were scattered around the floor, and dumped them in his toy chest. Kara helped him in silence, as they moved in human speed, letting Clark Luthor collect his thoughts. With a sigh, he sat himself down on the couch, "How did this happen... how did Kent and the mirror box disappear just like that I mean.. it doesn't make sense..."

Kara lowered herself on the arm of the couch, crossing her legs, "I know enough about Kryptonian knowledge to piece this together... you remembered how Tess and Emil repaired this mirror box after it was destroyed the first time?" Clark nodded his head as she continued, "It must've had a few glitches to it, cause the mirror box's purpose is to transfer Kryptonians through these two worlds, and since the Clark from Earth-1 is... dead, it must've been in the middle of transferring both your bodies but... the implications of it was the fact that there is only one mirror box that exists between both worlds... and one conscious Kryptonian in the house of El that was able to be transferred, therefore, the incomplete pieces to completing the transfer, were thrown into the border between the two Earths, another dimension of a universe between Earth-1 and Earth-2. I'm pretty sure that's where our Kal-El and the mirror box are trapped"

Clark nodded as he was deep in thought, "Why wasn't Lois transported? She was the one who activated it?"

Kara nodded, "Like I said, it must've been because of the implications of when Tess and Emil repaired it, only a Kryptonian can activate it, and since Lois, a human was the one who did it... I don't know I guess it was only meant to transfer members of the house of El."

He lowered his head, as Clark took a deep breath, pushing back the ache in his chest, "And there's no way to bring them back... Kent and the box."

"Well..." He looked up at her with wide eyes, "We never told you but... there is a way. We read Lionel's journal's when he was used as Jor-El's vessel for Kryptonian knowledge, and found out a way to retrieve it, but that requires the use of another human vessel... but that's too risky so we chose not to do it."

He sighed in defeat, there was no use, whether they found it or not... there was no more Clark Luthor and Lois Lane. He had to move forward, like he always does, "Tell me about my parents." Kara's brows rose as she was taken aback, "Jor-El and Lara... what were they like?" A small smile appeared on her lips as Kara gave a slight nod, and told him the story of the Kryptonian parents who loved each other deeply, as well as their planet, and knowledge, and the sacrifice they made to save their only son...

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

"Here sweetie" Lois looked up in gratitude as Martha handed her a cup of fresh hot coffee as they sat by the fireplace, "Is Chris asleep?"

Lois nodded as she closed her eyes while taking a sip of her coffee, "Out like a lamp as always."

Martha smiled, "I remember how hard it was to even get him to stop crying in the middle of the night... Oh how much time has passed."

Lois' smile faltered, thinking back on the conversation they had earlier as Lois told Martha everything that had happened, all that she had done, "I'm so sorry Martha." She said in a weak voice.

Martha tilted her head in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

Taking a shaky breath, she replied, "I'm sorry I've kept this from you all these months... I'm sorry I don't bring Chris to Washington often enough... I'm so sorry I did all of this... activating the mirror box... making Clark's body disappear... forming a relationship with Clark Luthor. I'm sorry I did all of this... I feel like I don't even deserve Clark Kent... I feel like I've betrayed him. And now his body's gone because of me." She let out a deep sigh, looking down at her coffee mug as they sat in silence.

"Lois... look at me" She heard her mother-in-law say in a soothing tone, to which Lois lifted her head up to face her, as Martha Kent gave a warm smile that just melted her heart, "I don't ever want you to be sorry for the choices you've made. Just hearing everything you've done makes me realize just how much you loved my son... and how hard it is for you to live without him... I'M the one who should be sorry."

Lois shook her head with exasperation, "No! Martha you have nothing to be sorry about!"

Martha continued, "I'm sorry that I haven't been there for you as much as I'd like to... I should've been there so you've have someone to talk to... because you're my family... you and Chris. And family should've come before my work."

Continuing to shake her head, Lois replied in a strained tone, "Martha really, I don't blame you, you have an amazing career going on as a state senator for all these years... everyone deals with grief their own way. I've just closed myself off from everyone around me. Even Chloe, who sees me on a daily basis didn't know how much I was missing Clark after two years... I just wanted to see him again... and even though it was Clark Luthor I still..."

"You grew feelings for him..." Lois looked back up at her and nodded her head, "I'm not surprised he fell for you, you're an amazing woman... and I think you opened his eyes to the important things in life... and changed him for the better. Now when he goes back... he can look forward to a brighter future, instead of leading towards a life much like Lex's. In a way, I'd say you helped ignite Earth-2 Lois and Clark's destiny... when your destiny with Clark had ended. Everything happens for a reason."

Her eyes fluttered as Lois took a deep breath, turning her head away, "Do you think he'll come back to us... our Clark?" She asked weakly, "Do you think there's a chance _our _destiny isn't over yet?"

Martha smiled back at her, putting her index finger on Lois' chin, she turned her head to face her, "I will never give up hope."

Lois nodded her head with a smile and leaned against Martha's shoulder, "I never asked you... how you dealt with Jonathan's passing." Martha's lips parted as Lois quickly said, "I'm sorry... if you don't want to talk about it..."

Martha softly caressed her hair, "Don't worry Lois... it's just... no one's asked me that before." Lois remained silent as Martha spoke softly, "Of course it was hard... things seemed unbearable to do because everything reminded me of him... this farm, drinking coffee... Clark." Lois held back her tears as she heard her words, "Clark was the one who helped me go on... I can't imagine how I would've coped without him. My son is what made the mornings worth waking up to.. because I had someone to share my pain with, and help heal with." They both stayed silent for a moment, before Martha replied, "You won't be alone Lois... even if we don't get Clark back, you still have me... and you still have Chris. I know you miss him... I miss him too. And I don't blame you for one second, for doing what you did... goes to show true love never dies." Lois nodded as she let a single tear fall, while Martha hugged her closely.

* * *

><p><em>Watchtower<em>

"You can NOT be serious right now. On top of everything CLARK KENT'S body's disappeared?!" Tess exclaimed as she marched in through Watchtower, With Emil and Oliver at her heels, while Oliver rubbed his eyes, "How did this happen?! WHEN did this happen?!"

"Tess calm down... it's pretty clear Oliver explained it was because of the mirror box... now we have to figure out where we go from here..." Emil said.

Tess huffed with her hands on her hips, "Oliver... what else did Chloe say about this... I mean do they even know where he is?! Or... is he alive?" She whispered the last part with anxiety creeping up. It had been two years... two years. Could it be possible?

Oliver licked his lips and shook his head, "I honestly don't know. All I know is the body disappeared along with the mirror box. Bruce is on his way over here we'll have to talk this through and figure out a plan"

Tess closed her eyes, "Even without this piece of news, we have zero leads and no plans to find them. What are we supposed to figure out now?! We have no alien technologies that can help track down both Superman AND the mirror box!"

Oliver was about to speak before he got cut off, "Yes we do." All three of them turned to see Chloe standing at the doorway downstairs, looking up at them. Emil squinted his eyes to see what she was holding up in her hand, "We have the Crystal."

Tess' brows furrowed as Oliver's eyes widened, "Chloe... what did you do?" He asked cautiously.

Chloe blinked once, with a sigh, she replied, "Don't worry Ollie... I know how to get him back."


	42. I'm Gonna Make it

Enjoy;)!

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><p><strong>Chapter 42: I'm Gonna Make It- Sanders Bohlke<strong>

_**Where there's a will. There's a way. I'm gonna see you bright and day. Better believe me when I say, I'm gonna make it. I'm gonna set my mind free from whatever my troubles be, believe me, I'm gonna make it. Yes I will. I'm gonna learn to swallow my pride, trust in the lord to be my guide, in his arms I will reside, cause I'm gonna make it. With every smile, with every tear wherever I am, he will be near, Show love as I'm standing here, I'm gonna make it. Yes I will. Never right whenever I'm wrong, never a road gets too long I will carry on, cause I'm gonna make it. **_

_Watchtower_

Chloe burst open the door, going through a separate corridor extending to another level in Watchtower that she had created, with Emil, Tess and Oliver hot on her heels, showing protest to what she has revealed to them, "Chloe you've crossed a line here, do you understand the implications from what you've done?!" Oliver exclaimed as he tried catching up to her fast, inhuman strides, "THIS IS INSANE! I'm not letting you do this! We'll find another way!"

Chloe sighed, "Oliver it's been months, we haven't found any other way, and on the contrary, you don't know the consequences to doing this, so this is a chance we should take because we all know very well this is the ONLY way."

Oliver growled in frustration, "DAMMIT CHLOE! What the hell has gotten into you?! YOU of all people should've never gone to Jor-El and volunteered to be a lab rat! Did you completely forget the last time this happened to you?! I was there! You used the powers Brainiac planted in you to get Clark and Lois out of the Phantom Zone using THIS very crystal, using THIS very method actually and you know what happened?! You're nose started bleeding, you ended up gaining superhuman powers, it sucked the life out of you, you lost your memories, Brainiac took over your entire- CHLOE!" He grabbed her arm and spun her around to face him, stopping her in her tracks. He searched her eyes, and saw his Chloe in there, will all her determination and fire, "What is this really about? You think by becoming the vessel you can find redemption in what you did?" Chloe shook her head, ready to turn away, when he grabbed her shoulders, "Listen to me! When Brainiac planted Kryptonian knowledge in your brain it almost killed you! Chloe your brain was being taken over. Now it might not happen now... but who knows what this will do to you in the future-"

"Oliver Clark's gone!" Chloe exclaimed, her patience was running thin, "He's missing. He's disappeared off the face of this Earth and no one knows where he is. He is my best friend. He is the father of my only nephew. He is my family. He is our family, I won't abandon him knowing I have the power to do something about it. I volunteered to be the vessel BECAUSE I've done this before. I know what to expect, and I know how to control myself, I trust Jor-El to help me. He won't hurt me the way Brainiac did, so I'm not worried if this will kill me. I just know that if we never try this... I'm scared I'll wake up every day wondering what if we _had_ tried this... and whether we would have Superman back... whether Clark gets a chance to live his life. Cause I never believed the world was done with Clark Kent yet. And this is a chance I'm gonna take cause we have nothing else! We have no other plan. Unless you have a plan Ollie we're doing this..." She waited for him to say something, and when he simply stared back at her, Chloe held up her hands, "Didn't think so."

She started walking down the corridor once more as they approached a rather large lab. Oliver sighed as he saw Chloe opening the safe where the generator was locked up in, Chloe took it out and placed it carefully on the glass table. She reached into her pocket and held out the crystal in her hand, as she simply stared back at it... this was it. Her thoughts were interrupted by a hand on her shoulder, she looked up to see her husband look down at her with worry and a vulnerability. Oliver gripped her shoulder and shook his head, "Please Chloe... don't do this... I can't lose you." He replied weakly, "I promise I'll try and find another way... I'll try and track down the Kandorians if that's what it takes... We don't even know if it'll actually bring Clark back... I mean what if it only brings back the mirror box, and you still get hurt."

Chloe tilted her head at him and placed her hand on his cheek, "Trust Jor-El Oliver... he won't hurt me. His sole intention is to find his son and the mirror box and set everything the way it should be, and I believe that he will. So believe that I'll be okay." Swallowing hard she turned to Emil, "Besides, we have a certified doctor in the room with us. If anything happens Emil will take care of me right?" She turned to him for reassurance.

Emil cleared his throat and shook his head, "Well of course if anything happens I'll do what I can to monitor you, but Chloe, I'm going to have to agree with Oliver here. This is too risky, and the human brain such as yourself, who has gone through a great ordeal of consuming Kryptonian knowledge before... I don't know if you'd be able to make it this time. This is a matter of life and death. I'm sorry but I'm not behind this. I'm with Oliver here."

Oliver nodded and turned back to his wife, "We're a team remember? We all got to be in an agreement... and you're outnumbered." Chloe looked back at him with frustration when Tess spoke up.

"Well it looks like we're at a crossroads here then Queen." They both turned towards her, "I say we have nothing to lose at this point. Jor-El even said with the shift in the two worlds, it'll cause an unbalance in this universe... you really want to mess with the grand design more than it already has been? I think if we don't do anything now... we're really going to pay for it sooner than later. And Jor-El's Intelligence is already in Chloe's head. What's done is done, there's nothing we can change now, other than take our chances and see what happens. I say you do it." She said defiantly.

Oliver glared at her and turned to Chloe, and saw her mind was already made up. Looking up at him, Chloe gave a weak smile, "I'll be okay... trust me. I know what I'm doing."

Taking a deep breath, Oliver hesitated before sighing in defeat, he leaned in and kissed her forehead, gripping the back of her neck, "Be careful..." he whispered.

Chloe nodded as she turned back to the generator, with the crystal in her hand, she gingerly placed it on the generator. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at everyone, "Here we go..." She turned to Oliver, "I love you." Oliver swallowed hard, pushing back his gut feeling that this was not going to end well, and nodded back at her, looking at her with much love. Chloe licked her lips, looking down at the crystal which was gleaming in the light of the room. Lifting her hand up to hover over the crystal, everybody waited in silence, as nothing happened, Chloe closed her eyes, and her brows furrowed in concentration. Tess stared back at the two men, her patience faltering, as she waited, but nothing happened, and suddenly, her eyes widened when the generator, along with the crystal, began to spin. Everyone took a step back in surprise when the crystal began to spin faster and faster, to supersonic speed, and it began to glow under Chloe's hovering hand.

Oliver's eyes widened as he felt a sense of déjà vu... this is exactly how it happened, "Chloe?" He walked up to her as she kept her eyes closed, "Chloe can you hear me?" He asked cautiously.

"I should've hooked her up to the EEG to monitor her brain activity..." Emil said as he walked over to her.

"Do you know what's happening?" Tess asked with anxiety laced in her voice.

As Emil was about to approach her to check her pulse, Chloe opened her eyes, but maintained her position as the crystal continued to spin. Emil held his breath as they saw Chloe's pupils disappeared, as her eyes were completely white. Oliver walked up to her and placed his hand on her back, "Chloe?!" He said with a shaky voice.

"Kal-El..." She whispered in a throaty voice.

Everyone looked back at each other with wide eyes. Tess' voice trembled, "Did she just-"

Emil stared back at Chloe's face awestruck, shaking his head, "Unbelievable..."

Chloe whispered once more, as Emil strained to hear her, "I'm coming Kal-El... my son."

Emil took a step back, "This isn't Chloe anymore..."

Oliver stared back at him with exasperation, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

"This is Jor-El... he's taken over her mind... and body. He's looking for his son."

"Clark?" Tess asked, "You're telling me... Jor-El possessed Chloe's body right now?"

Emil nodded, "It seems so" Oliver stood beside Chloe, worried at what was happening to his wife. Suddenly, a bright light emitted from the crystal, the light continued to grow brighter and brighter, as Emil, Tess, and Oliver covered their eyes from the brightness as it consumed Watchtower.

"Kal-El..." Chloe continued to whisper as the light consumed her as well...

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><p>He felt as if he was floating... floating above water, as he felt many Earthly elements wash over his body. A body which originated from another planet... but felt the familiarities of his home. Earth. The planet he loved, as he could smell freshly cut grass, the invisible feeling of being submerged into the blue ocean, feeling the rays of sunlight hit his very skin, and consume his body, all at the same time, feeling his weight supported by the very air humans breathed. All the elements coming together to keep his isolation company. He remained floating, unable to open his eyes as his mind was trapped in complete darkness, darkness he could not escape, a loneliness he could not hide from... as he heard no sound, saw no sight, disconnected from his body as he felt paralyzed from utter movement, or physical feeling, and stolen away from his mind, as he could not even think a single thought. There he laid still, in an unknown oblivion. Darkness... all around him. It was then when he heard a fearful whisper. An eerie whisper that took over his mind in the darkness, <em>"Kal-El..."<em> He heard it. The first noise he had heard in a long time. _"Kal-El..."_ There it was again. He couldn't put his finger on it... but he felt... something, _"I'm coming Kal-El... my son." _The whisper echoed, as if the noise was bouncing off of walls. Suddenly, he felt himself. It was an indescribable feeling, but a feeling nonetheless. He began to feel his body was present, along with his mind. He dared to move an inch, a single muscle fiber. He tried his fingers first. Ever so slightly, one finger twitched. Yes. It was there. Now the next, and another... he felt the rise of his chest as he breathed in, and out... in and out. Breathing. That felt new. He suddenly heard the beating of his heart in his ears, and again, the whisper, _"Ka-El"_ called out his name. It resembled a child's whisper. And Clark urged himself to open his eyes, and saw nothing but a black abyss, he continued blinking, and realized his eyes were in fact open... and he was in darkness. He felt he had just awoken from a long, deep slumber, and ended up here. He was floating, wasn't lying on a flat surface, but was floating in a black hole. With no signs of an exit. But the whispering continued to echo his name. He could not find his voice, or any other movement as he continued floating. _Am I dead?_ He asked himself. Was this what death was? Complete darkness... and utter isolation. Forever?

Suddenly, he looked into a direction where there was a speck of white in the distance. Squinting his eyes, he noticed the speck of white... the first sign of a light, was getting closer, and bigger, as it ignited, he found the surroundings he was trapped in... dark glass... black mirrors... all around him, as he saw his reflection, trapped behind the black glass with no direction of up, down, left or right. He turned back to the light, which ignited before him, _"Kal-El..."_ There it was, his father's voice, calling out his name. He furrowed his brows at the light which was shooting out beams, _"I have found you... my son."_

Clark managed to choke out in a strained voice which had not been used in two years, "Jor-El?"

_"Yes... it is I. Your father. Listen to me son. I have travelled many galaxies through time and space in search of you. Son... you had died in a grave battle with Doomsday. A battle that was well attained in victory, but also in loss... in your loss."_ His eyes widened at his father's voice. So it was true. This was his afterlife. A sudden sadness overwhelmed him at the thought of leaving his wife behind... _Oh Lois_... his life had been over... before it had truly begun. _"Listen to me very carefully Kal-El. You are trapped in the border between Earth-1 and Earth-2... in the middle of the transference you had become trapped inside the mirror box. It has you contained and does not intend to let you go without a fight. I will do what I can to bring you out of this abyss but it will do whatever it can to keep you here it will be a great force you must fight against. I will create an opening for you to escape to but you need to fight against the force to reach it Kal-El." _

Clark did not understand what was going on, "I'm in the mirror box?" His voice echoed throughout the black mirrors surrounding him and the beam of light, "I thought you said I died?"

_"As of right this very moment you are still dead my son... and because of that you had been trapped the border of the two Earths during the transfer... this is also the border between the world of the living and the dead. This is the border before the afterlife. You have not in fact made it to the afterlife just yet... it seems your Kryptonian life force and the mirror box itself has protected you from crossing over. But Kal-El, once I create an opening out of the mirror box, you will be succumbed to the vortex that splits the world of the living and the dead, the afterlife will try and suck you in... and after that I'm afraid I will not be able to bring you back my son. I know your strength, you must fight against it Kal-El. Do you understand?"_

Clark tried to take in everything that Jor-El had told him, there were still so many questions lingering... but he had to get out of here first, and if Jor-El had the power to help him, those questions will have to wait. With a stiff nod, he replied, "I'm ready."

_"Remember, fight it my son."_ And with that, the light disappeared, and he was submerged into darkness once again. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Was that just an illusion? Suddenly, he saw a bright blue light creating a split down the darkness before him, in a blink of an eye, the split opened up, and he saw a vortex of lights running at the speed of light, _"Come Kal-El!"_ Jor-El called out. With that, Clark tried going towards the opening, but felt he couldn't get any closer to it. Every time he tried, some invisible force kept pulling him back. Clark clenched his teeth as he tried fighting against that invisible force that was stronger than words could describe, and tried moving towards it. But every time he moved and inch towards the opening, he was forced back another inch,_ "Kal-El I cannot keep this open for long you must hurry_!" Jor-El urged.

Clark growled, he couldn't do it, he wasn't strong enough. He somehow heard the force pulling him back, mocking him somehow, as if there was life in the force, an evil life, yearning to keep him inside the mirror box... and face the afterlife. He growled as he tried again and again. _I can't... I can't give up._ He saw the slit beginning to narrow, as it was beginning to close. Clark's eyes widened, "NO!"

_Please be careful..._

His body froze, as he heard her last words she whispered to him... those last words before he made her leave so she wouldn't get hurt in battle. "Lois?"

_I know mommy seems like she's crazy for talking to herself... but daddy can hear me. I know it._

_I'm gonna be seeing you in our son everyday... I miss you baby. I love you Clark..._

Those words... her voice was flooding through his mind. Lois... he had to get back. Oh god... they had a son. He had a son... how long has it been? Anger spurred in his as he continued to get pulled further and further away from the opening. A growl began to emerge from him, which erupted into a roar, as he fought against the force, which continued to pull him back. He felt his insides, and his muscles being ripped apart as he pushed against the force with all he had, he continued getting closer inch by inch... but the opening was beginning to close, and Clark let out a loud roar, "LLOISSSSSSSS!"

* * *

><p><em>Metropolis<em>

Kara let out a loud gasp as she clutched her chest, wincing as she abruptly stood up. Clark stood as well as he walked towards her, "You okay?" He asked, worried that she was going to pass out.

Kara opened her eyes, confusion overwhelming her, as she shook her head, "I don't know... I just felt... like some kind of energy ran through me... it was weird..." She began breathing heavily and Clark gripped her shoulder, ready to steady her as she swayed side by side, "I think something happened... But I don't know what it was..."

Clark furrowed his brows, wondering what this meant... because he'd be lying if he said he didn't feel it too, but kept silent about it.

* * *

><p><em>Watchtower<em>

Oliver groaned as he slowly opened his eyes, and found himself lying on the floor... had he fallen unconscious? What had happened? He rolled over to his side and saw that both Tess and Emil had fallen unconscious to the ground as well. His breathing hitched as he found Chloe lying on the floor, with her back to him, "Chloe!" He hissed as he got up and ran towards her. He cradled his wife in his arms, shaking her face, "Chloe? Chloe wake up! Can you hear me? CHLOE!" He continued calling out her name, but no response. "Oh god" He breathed out as he pressed his two fingers against the side of her neck to check her pulse. It was there, steady, and calm. He breathed out a sigh of relief as he hugged her close to his chest, "You're okay... you're gonna be okay. Wake up honey..." It wasn't much later when he heard her groan in pain, looking down at her face, his eyes widened as she opened her eyes, looking up at him in confusion.

"Ollie..." She groaned out.

Oliver smiled down at her, relief washing over him, she was Chloe again, "Thank god... you're okay!" He hugged her close, rocking her back at forth swallowing the lump in the back of his throat.

Chloe closed her eyes as she hugged her husband, then her eyes shot open as she pulled away, looking around the room, "What happened?!" She hissed when she saw Emil and Tess lying on the floor, looking back at Oliver with wide eyes, she asked fearfully, "Did it work...?" She whispered.

Oliver took a deep breath and shook his head, "I don't think so..." He spoke in a sad tone.

Chloe stared back at him, shaking her head in denial, "It was supposed to work..." She whispered, "It's all we had..." Tears pooled in her eyes as she hugged her husband back, as Oliver kissed her forehead. It didn't work. There was nothing else to be done... while there was a tiny gleam of light inside the crystal.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

It was late at night, as both Chris and Martha were back at the Kent farm, Lois had decided to get some fresh air. She drove down the familiar road she had driven for the very first time in Smallville. As she parked on the side of the road, Lois had hopped off, and headed off into the cornfield. She had no idea what had corrupted her into walking into a cornfield alone, late at night, but in a place where most would think scary, Lois found comfort in for a lifetime to come. As she strode down the field. She stopped at the place where all the corn had been cropped off, all those years ago, when he had crashed here in lightning. She stood at the very same spot where she saw him for the very first time all those years ago. Lois hugged herself as she remembered the very first time she met him, to the time he brought her here again, and proposed, in the very same place their story began. A sob broke in her chest as Lois tented her hands over her nose, and refused to let her tears fall. Had it really been thirteen years since that very moment their life together had began? And two of those years were without him. Lois clutched her chest as she looked up to the stars. "Oh Clark..." She choked out quietly, "I know you're probably disappointed in me... I'm usually so much tougher than this but... I don't want to move on from you... and so I thought being with some other version of you was better than not living without you at all..." She gave a humourless chuckle, "I'm such an idiot... there's only room for one Clark... and that'll always be you." Taking a deep breath, Lois hugged herself, "I hope... wherever you are, you're okay. If you are really gone... I bet you're fixing tractors in the clouds with your dad... and my mom is finally getting to know the man I gave my heart to." Her mouth curved up to a smile, "I know she'd approve. Tell her how much I miss her... and Jonathan... and you." Her tears welled up in her eyes as she smiled, "I will always love you..." As she swallowed hard, Lois learned to accept the truth, that Clark may never come back to her... and that it was okay... she needed to move forward, and keep her memories of him dear to her heart. With that, Lois turned away to leave, but heard a distance boom. She turned to look up at the sky, but saw nothing in particular. After a moment, she saw a twinkling star in the distance, tilting her head, Lois bore her eyes into the mesmerizing star which began to grow bigger, her eyes widened as she realized it was shooting towards Earth, as the light grew to appear bigger than a meteor, Lois turned to run, and felt the Earth shake as a blast of energy knocked her off her feet and she got slammed into the ground.

Lois coughed up as she felt like she had been winded. With a groan, she rolled to her side, and stumbled to get up. As she dusted the dirt off her clothes, she heard, "Lois..." in a breathless whisper. Lois froze in place. Not a single muscle would move as she heard the voice. _That voice._ She knew that voice. Her eyes widened, as she stayed frozen, and heard no other sound. It wasn't real. It couldn't be. Her heart was beginning to beat faster, and it was beginning to get hard to breathe. Swallowing hard, Lois slowly turned her body, painfully slow. She turned her head to the side and stopped midway as she winced to herself, and finally found her strength to turn her head the rest of the way, and finally came face to face with the source of the voice. There he stood, naked, in his powerful structure, dark hair, and those azure eyes piercing into her soul. Straight to her soul. Lois' breath got caught in her throat as she remained silent, clamped her teeth tightly shut, and frozen in place, staring back at the man with caution, and utter shock. The dark haired naked man let out a deep breath of relief, and the corners of his mouth curved up, "Lois..." He breathed out again, but as he tried to speak once more, his eyes rolled in the back of his head and collapsed to the ground.

Lois blinked and ran towards the man, hesitating at first, but put her hand on his shoulder and turned him over. Lois' eyes bulged out of their socket as her breathing hitched, as she lightly brushed the hair off his sweaty forehead. Sweat was dripping down his face. Her hand trembled rapidly, almost as if she was having a seizure. Her eyes roamed down to his left hand, which was holding an object. She reached over and gasped when she realized what it was. He was holding the mirror box. As she took the mirror box from his hands that's when she saw it, the familiar silver wedding band on his finger. She knew that ring, as she wore the exact same one. Lois covered her mouth with her trembling hand as she couldn't breathe. She took his head in her hands and placed him on her lap, brushing his hair from his forehead once again... out of habit, "Clark..." She barely whispered under her breath. She felt like she was going to be sick, as she cried out, "CLARRRRRK!" Rocking his head in her arms, back and forth in the middle of the cornfield.

* * *

><p><strong>Well there you have it folks, the moment we've ALL been waiting for;) <strong>

**A little side note: When Clark hears Lois' voice when she's talking is a quote I took from Chapter 7, when Lois takes Chris to go visit the mausoleum for the first time. Her words reached him:)**

**I know I left it at a cliffie, this Chapter was basically the high point of the story so I worked ALOTT on structuring this and really trying to explain where Kent was, and how he's back, alive of course and I hope it was clear. If anything I can explain it again in the next chapter if some people don't understand the whole part of how Clark and the mirror box ended up there. Anyways I hope I delivered this chapter well and it didn't seem like it was rushed (Despite the fact that it took me over 35 chapters to get here) and PLEASE review away:)**

**Things change from heree... To be Continuedd;)! **

**P.S. I had just finished writing a 12 page paper for six hours straight and I'm exhausted from all that typing so the next chapter is going to take a bit of time I'll try my best to update as soon as possible but I'm so tired of typing for now give me a couple days:P**


	43. Dancing

Hey guys, well it's bee over a month since I last updated, you know how the real world just takes over like that I've been going through a lot of stress with school but I'm not checking out of FF and I'm sticking to my promise, it'll just take a bit of time:) Thanks so much for the reviews words cannot express how much I appreciate them:)!

Enjoy this update a little warning there isn't much action going on here but I'll try my best to update a little faster!

* * *

><p><span><strong>Chapter 43: Dancing- Elisa<strong>

_**Time is gonna take my mind, and carry it far away, where I can fly. The depth of life will dim my temptation to live for you. If I were to be alone, silence would rock my tears. Cause it's all about love, and I know better, how life is a waving feather. So I put my arms around you, around you. And I know that I'll be leaving soon. My eyes are on you, they're on you. And you see that I can't stop shaking. No, I won't step back, but I'll look down**_ _**to hide from your eyes 'cause what I feel is so sweet and I'm scared that even my own breath, Oh could burst it if it were a bubble. **_

_**And I'd better dream if I have to struggle.**_

_Metropolis_

Bruce continued his drive to Watchtower, as he was a mere block away he heard his phone ring. Keeping his eyes on the road, he opened his phone and saw the number. His brows furrowed at why she'd be calling at this hour, "Lo? I'm on my way to Watchtower, what's up?" His face tightened at her voice, she was in hysterics, "Lois? Wait what?... You're not making any sense slow down. Where are you?" He continued to hear her rambling in hysterics, hearing gushes of wind through the microphone of her phone, "You're in Smallville?" The lines on his forehead creased, "When did you get to Smallville?" She started yelling at him, telling him that's not what was important right now. He continued to listen, "Wait you're driving? From where? Lois tell me what's going on!" He began to get frustrated and worried at the same time, he could hear her frantic voice.

_"He just appeared out of nowhere Bruce! You need to come! He's here!"_

"What? Who's here?"

_"CLARK! Clark's here! He's back!"_

He pinched the bridge of his nose, "Okay let me get this straight, you and Luthor went to Smallville… what happened? Are you hurt?"

_"NO! Bruce you don't understand! I don't know how but he's here! CLARK KENT is here! OUR Clark! He had the mirror box! Just COME TO SMALLVILLE I need your help!" _

Bruce's face tightened as his knuckles turned white, "What did you just say?" He breathed out, not sure if he heard her properly.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

Martha Kent was awoken by a vicious knocking on the door. She sat upright from the couch as she turned to hear the banging noise which started to become irritating. She got up and rushed towards the door. Who could be sounding this frantic? When she opened the door, she saw Lois out of breath, her hair disheveled and her face looked worn out, "Lois… what-"

Lois gripped her mother-in-law by the shoulders, "I need your help Martha." Martha tilted her head in confusion, "He's here" She breathed out.

Her brows furrowed as she shook her head, "I'm not sure I'm following Lois… who's here?"

She swallowed hard, "Your son… I found him in the cornfield!" Martha's jaw dropped as she could not wrap her head around Lois' revelation. Had she completely lost it? Lois shook her head frantically as she took a step back, "Look I can't explain right now, I don't even hear what I'm saying I'm just FREAKING out I can't… look he's in the truck and he's REALLY heavy, I need your help…"

Martha snapped out of it as her eyes widened, "Clark's… in the truck?" She just couldn't fathom what had gotten into Lois, was she having a delusion?

Lois' patience wavered as she exclaimed, "YES! But I don't know what's wrong with him he just passed out, I need help getting him in the house!"

Taking a shaking breath, Martha nodded, following Lois as they ran to the truck. Martha came to a halt as she covered her mouth with her trembling hand, biting back a cry when she saw her son lying unconscious on the passenger seat, "CLARK!" She did not expect this, as Lois ripped open the car door, supporting his head, Martha ran closer and saw he was covered in a red blanket.

"Do you think you can help carry him to the house?"

Martha turned to the house and nodded, "Bring the truck closer to the porch so it's not as far…" Lois nodded and ran to the driver's side, as Martha stepped to the side, and Lois drove right up to the porch step, with the passenger door facing the house. As she hopped off, she saw Martha was already at the passenger side, opening the door, as she placed her trembling hand against her sons face, "Is he… alive?" She breathed out.

Lois sighed, "He's breathing…" And together, both women used their weight to support each side of him, dragging him to the door. Martha was struggling to keep him upright, leaving Lois to hold up most of his weight. They had managed to make it up the steps, they breathed heavily as they dragged his extremely heavy structure through the door, and dropped him on the couch. Both Lois and Martha panted as they finally laid him down, "You… should've… seen how long… it took... for me to get him… in the car…." Both women stood breathlessly as they looked down at the unconscious man on the couch.

Martha kept her eyes on her son, who's chest was slightly rising and falling, but sweat was dripping down his face, "Lois… how did… what happened?" She asked in a shaky tone as she came to sit by her son, and gripped his hand with both of hers, kissing the back of it, "Oh… my son." Tears ran down her face as she clutched his hand. He had been gone for two years... where did he go?

Lois shook her head as she stood behind her, looking down at his unconscious form lying on the couch, "I have no idea… one minute I'm standing in the middle of the cornfield and the next there's a fireball about to hit me, it knocks me off my feet… and there he was, standing in front of me." She blinked as she realized what she forgot, "He had the mirror box with him…" She ran to her purse that was still in the truck and came back into the living room. Martha stared back with interest as Lois pulled out the mirror box, carefully setting it down on the coffee table, "I called Bruce… they should be on their way."

Martha nodded, "He's running a fever Lois…" She stood up and headed to the kitchen, returning with a wet cloth and placed it on Clark's sweating forehead, "This should help… but I don't know what else we can do…"

Lois thought for a moment, "Maybe he needs sunlight…" She began breathing heavily, brushing her disheveled hair off her face, "I should c-call someone t-to to bring him up there... or maybe to the Fortress... yeah... th-that sho-uld help..."

Martha shook her head when she realized Lois was trembling, she was in complete shock that her adrenaline of finding him had begun to wear off as she was starting to realize what was happening. Martha stood up from the couch and took Lois' trembling body in her arms, with tears pooled in the elderly woman's eyes, "Lois..." She began rubbing her back as Lois continued to tremble in her arms, "It's okay... he's here... he's here now..."

Lois swallowed hard, trying to relax, but her blood was pumping fast, she couldn't just sit back... this couldn't be happening. It was impossible, "Two years..." She whispered ever so weakly, "Th-this is impossible." She said in a throaty voice.

Pulling away, Martha turned and looked back at her son, "I can't believe this... he's breathing..." She covered her mouth, choking back a sob.

"We can't just sit back and wait for him to wake up... He might not even... this could all just be a ruse!" Lois began pacing around the room, holding her forehead as she began to hyperventilate, "This can't be real. It's too good to be true I mean... I'm standing in the cornfield where we met and all of a sudden POOF! He just pops up in front of me?! That's a little farfetched even for Smallville! This can't be him! This is some sick joke the universe is playing on me for screwing around with the mirror box. No! This can't be real it just-"

"LOIS!" She stopped rambling and stared back at Martha, "You need to calm down honey... for all we know this could be something else... but he had the mirror box... what other explanation could there be?"

Lois stared back at her mother-in-law with wide eyes, her eyes fluttered as she slowly turned her head towards the man lying unconscious on the couch. She simply stared back at him for a long moment, without uttering a single word. She managed to make her feet move at a painfully slow pace towards the couch, as she knelt down beside him, her face inches away from his. Her eyes roamed down his arm, towards the silver band that rested on his ring finger. She traced her finger along the band, and took his hand in both of hers, gripping it hard as she looked back up at his face, dripping with sweat, she brought his hand up to her lips, and Martha noticed her shoulders shook as Lois sobbed, "Oh... Clark..." She couldn't utter anything else as she sobbed heavily, and Martha's cheeks were stained with her own tears as her chest ached at the sight of her son... coming back to them.

* * *

><p><em>Watchtower<em>

He didn't have time to think as he stormed into Watchtower, bursting the doors open nearly off its hinges, "CHLOE! OLIVER!" He called out, "OLIVER!" He huffed once he saw Oliver walking into the room, looking tired as ever.

"Bruce forget it... you're too late... Chloe tried something with the Crystal... and it just didn't work."

Bruce's eyes widened as he roughly grabbed Oliver's arm, "What crystal?!"

Oliver furrowed his brow as he looked down at Bruce's hand having an iron grip on his arm, "The Crystal to the Fortress..."

"What happened here?!" Oliver raised his brow at Bruce, perplexed at his hysteric behaviour.

"What's going on here?" They both turned to see Tess walking into the scene, "Am I interrupting?" She asked in a suspicious tone at their position.

"Where's Chloe?" Bruce asked out of breath.

"She's getting her vitals checked by Emil... she should rest. We should call J'onn and see what he can do with the Crystal." Oliver nodded as he turned back to Bruce.

"I need to talk to Chloe" Bruce started as he walked past him and rushed towards the corridor with Tess and Oliver following.

"Bruce whatever you have to say just say it to me Chloe's been through enough tonight!"

"Believe me Queen this probably has more to do with Chloe than me or you combined." He pushed open the door where Chloe and Emil were as they turned, startled by Bruce's entrance, "Chloe what the hell happened here?!"

Chloe sighed as she jumped off the bed, "I decided to use the method Kara and Jor-El suggested to get the mirror box..."

He held his breath, asking with caution, "And what method is that?"

"I volunteered myself to be the vessel for Jor-El... I transformed the Fortress back into the Kryptonian Crystal and Jor-El used me to generate it to find the mirror box... and possibly Clark... but it didn't work." She whispered the last part, looking down in shame, "It was our only option... and it didn't work."

She waited for a response, but when she heard silence, Chloe lifted her head up to see Bruce turn pale, and in complete shock. Oliver furrowed his brows, as Tess asked, "What's going on Bruce...?"

Bruce's hands shook as he looked back at Chloe, his chest heaving as he felt like he was going to collapse, "She wasn't lying..." He said more to himself as everyone exchanged confused glances, "I just got a call from Lois... something happened tonight" He said in a shaky tone, and everyone stared back at one another as they listened to what Bruce had found out.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville<em>

Martha stroked her son's hair back as she pressed the wet cloth against his forehead, the fever did not seem to be getting any better, "Lois... it's been an hour and there's been no change to his condition... maybe we should call Kara... or J'onn?"

Lois came back into the living room after checking up on Chris, "I have no idea where J'onn might be I called Bruce who should be on his way with Emil and Kara-" She came to an abrupt stop as she came to a realization.

Martha turned to her when she didn't finish her sentence, "Lois?"

Swallowing hard, Lois stared back at Martha, "Kara's with Clark Luthor..." Martha's breath caught in her throat, "I better call and make sure he's okay. I mean with Clark here with the mirror box who knows what happened to him" She hastened her speech as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Kara's number.

* * *

><p><em>Metropolis<em>

"You might wanna stop pacing around, you're gonna make a hole on the floor" Clark Luthor added as he watched Kara walk back and forth. She came to a halt and looked down at the floor, shaking her head while she concentrated hard to which Clark sighed, "Look you're thinking way too much about this... for all you know you just had a Kryptonian shiver and you're overreacting"

Kara huffed at him "This was no shiver, I felt like I had an electric jolt run through me. I had never felt this before... what could this mean."

With a scoff, Clark replied, "An electric jolt? Come on it wasn't that bad"

Kara stopped pacing and turned towards him with a confused look, "How would you know?" She watched Clark's face tighten as he cleared his throat, and Kara slowly walked up to him, "You felt it too didn't you?" She got her answer when Clark didn't say anything, "Why didn't you just say something?"

"Cause it's not a big deal!"

She raised her brows, "Not a big deal? When was the last time you felt something like that?!" Clark scowled at her tone when her phone rang.

Kara huffed as she turned away, and answered the phone, "Hey Lois, what's up?"

Kara listened intently to what Lois was saying, as Clark watched her face, as his counterpart cousin had gone stiff, he could've sworn she looked like a statue, she didn't move a single muscle as she didn't even blink. He bit his bottom lip, wanting to listen in on their conversation so badly, but had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that he really didn't want to hear what it was... that it had some connection to the jolt he and Kara had felt over an hour ago... and from the look on Kara's shocked face, something bad must've happened.

He swallowed hard as Kara slowly closed the phone in silence, and her azure eyes met his own as he clamped his mouth shut, and both of them didn't dare break the silence between the two, and somehow, it felt as though silence was the only thing that mattered at that moment.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>


	44. Disintegration

**Chapter 44: Disintegration- Jimmy Eat World**

_**Wonder why I'm so caught off guard when we kiss. Rather live my life in regret then do this. What happened to the love we both knew? We both chased. Hanging on a cigarette you need me, you burn me, you'll burn me. **_

Chloe stared down at the crystal in her hand as she unwrapped the red silk cloth around it, but couldn't help but feel a connection to it as she held on to it, she watched the diamond shimmer in the light of the private jet, she remained silent, and isolated herself while the others were brainstorming of a plan, she turned her head to look out the window, seeing the cornfields of her hometown beneath her as they were back in Smallville. She felt a hand on hers, and quietly turned her head, staring back at her husband, who showed concern etched on his face, "How are you feeling?" He asked cautiously. She remained silent for a long moment, before turning back to face the window again. Oliver didn't say another word as he continued to hold onto her hand, just wanting to keep some form of physical connection with his wife, as the news of her best friend had left her silent, she didn't utter a word from the moment they stepped on the plane. And that worried him, "Chloe I know this is... overwhelming. He was your best friend... and now there's a big possibility he could be alive again... and that's all because of you."

Her grip tightened around the crystal, while her other hand showed no motion to squeeze his hand back, taking a steady breath, she finally spoke, "We never talked about what I did... how I lied to you about what happened with his body all these months"

His brows twitched, shaking his head as he leaned in to kiss her shoulder, "We don't have to talk about it... I know you were trying your best to bring him back"

Chloe kept her eyes out the window, "It doesn't matter. I lied to you... to everyone. I thought I could play God, and look at how many people I've hurt."

Oliver shook his head, unable to comprehend why she was beating herself up, "Chloe look at me" After a moment, she finally turned her head to face him. He stared into her blue eyes for a long while before a warm smile formed on his lips, "I would never hate you for doing what you did. If anything... I blame myself for not having the courage that you have. That you could do something that none of us could do... you didn't give up on him." Chloe blinked as she didn't respond, "Yes, it hurt that you lied to me, that you couldn't trust me... but in all honesty, I think if I had known sooner I would've made you stop, and we would've put him back in that casket, and we would've never known what happened to him... and figure out a way to bring him back. You did all of that. You have this belief in him that none of us can live up to. You believe in all of us, and I don't doubt for a second that you'd do the same for me. That's why I love you. And that's why he's back Chloe. Clark's back because of you. Lois and Chris have their family back because of you. You did this."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she swallowed hard, "I'm not the hero here Oliver... I've caused so much pain to Lois to get here." She replied quietly.

Oliver's smile grew, "That's where you're wrong Chloe. In this case, you are definitely the hero. You are the hero in this story. You were the one who never gave up, and brought back Superman, and we're all grateful for that. You took the biggest risk against all odds. And I don't think you realize how much you're needed... how much Lois needed your determination when she couldn't get past her grief, how much Clark needed you to bring him back... how much I need you, because I do."

Chloe pressed her lips together as she fought back her tears, "He's really coming back..." She asked in a weak tone.

Oliver's eyes glistened as he cupped the back of her neck and placed a kiss on her forehead, "He's coming back..." He whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her, as Chloe covered the crystal up with the red silk, and placed it on the table in front of her as she hugged her husband back, feeling the warmth returned to her from her husband's love.

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile at the Kent Farm<em>

Martha continued looking down at her son's form, watching his chest ever so slightly rise and fall, hearing the crackle of the firewood, as she clutched his hand against her chest, slowly stroking his arm with her trembling hand, holding back her tears, and she desperately waited for him to open his eyes, to show any form of movement... to hear his voice again, to hear him call her 'Mom' again. She yearned for her boy to come back to her after over two years.

She heard quiet footsteps behind her as Martha kept her gaze on Clark, "Any change?" Lois asked in a tired tone. Martha swallowed hard and shook her head, her eyes glistened as she took a deep breath.

With a sigh, she turned her head to face her daughter-in-law, who turned away, keeping a distance from them as she went to the kitchen. Martha slowly placed Clark's hand on his chest as she stood up and walked towards the kitchen to see Lois staring out the window, "Did you call Kara?"

Lois simply nodded her head, "Yeah... she didn't say much. I guess she was in shock and wondering if I finally lost my mind. I mean it wouldn't be a surprise if this was all in my head. I mean I activated the mirror box, fell for his counterpart, crushed his heart, and now I'm here calling everyone and telling them Clark Kent's body magically appeared in front of me in the cornfield... oh and guess what he had the mirror box in his hand. It would make more sense to say this is all in my head." Martha kept silent as Lois dipped her head down, "Martha what if this is just some cruel game the universe is playing on me for screwing with destiny... this just can't be real... what if I wake up and I'm back to square one... without him. And this is just a 'Ha-ha gotcha. That's what you get!'" Lois let out a heavy sigh, "I called Kara to make sure Clark Luthor was okay... but I'm sure this isn't gonna be easy... for either of them." Running her fingers through her messy ponytail, Lois turned to see Martha staring back at her, "I'm scared Martha" she whispered.

Martha tilted her head and took a step forwards, "What are you afraid of?"

Lois shook her head to herself, "I'm scared if he wakes up... and finds out what I've done... he'll never look at me the same way again. I feel like I've screwed up so much that I'm not the person he thought I was."

Martha was perplexed at that, "Why would he ever think that? Lois he loves you there's nothing you could've done to change that-"

"I had feelings for Clark Luthor!" She exclaimed, "I grew feelings for him, I was ready to have a life with him, I was ready to fall for him..."

"But did you fall in love with him?" Lois stared back at her for a long moment, "Answer me Lois... were you in love with Clark Luthor?"

Lois pressed her lips together and replied, "No" in a soft tone, "But it doesn't matter... if I had never found out what happened to my Clark I would've eventually fallen in love with him. I could feel it, I knew I had already opened my heart to him and I was ready to feel that part of me again, I could feel myself love again..."

Martha's eyes softened, "But when you had found out that Clark had disappeared... what did you do? You broke it off with Luthor. You had a choice Lois... and you chose Clark Kent." Lois' lips parted as she remained silent, "I know you're scared. You're about to get your family back. You're about to get back the love of your life and you're afraid after what's happened, you're not worthy to get back the only thing you've ever wanted?" Lois's eyes drifted to the floor, "Lois... I know you're the one my son's always needed. You're love for him is just too strong that you can't imagine loving anyone else, and we all knew that. Even after you formed a close bond with Luthor, your love for my son still stayed strong that you chose him. You chose him Lois... and there's nothing to be afraid of. Because if he's the man I've raised him to be... he'll never stop loving you. He'll never turn his back on you, and you'll never disappoint him... so stop being disappointed in yourself, and go be with him, because he needs you right now."

Tears welled up in Lois' eyes as she nodded, and Martha gave her a warm smile as she walked away, and headed upstairs, leaving Lois alone in the kitchen as she braced her hands on the counter, breathing heavily, willing herself to be strong, to be worthy of someone worth waking up to.

* * *

><p><em>Metropolis<em>

Clark Luthor remained standing, staring back at Kara with his eyes wide, "What did you just say?" He breathed out.

Kara bit her bottom lip as she took a deep breath, "Apparently Clark Kent is back.. he appeared out of nowhere in the middle of the cornfield in Smallville-"

"How do you know this?!" He cut in, exclaiming through his teeth as his clenched his hands into fists, the unwanted agony seeping through his body, trying to overpower it with the anger he felt.

Kara watched Clark's reaction as she spoke cautiously, "Lois just told me"

"Is he with her" Kara didn't answer and she furrowed her brows, "IS HE WITH HER!" He exclaimed.

Kara licked her lips as she nodded, "She said he's unconscious though... I need to go to him. Can you stay here-"Clark made his way to Kara in a blur and within the blink of an eye, Kara found herself on her back, lying on the floor. She sat up in confusion as she looked around to see Clark Luthor standing by the French doors, seeing his unreadable, cold expression. Kara's eyes widened as she stood up to approach him, "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Clark breathed out heavily, "I need to see her. This is all happening too fast... I can't just lose her like that... I can't lose it all to him... I've already lost enough to him!"

Kara shook her head frantically, "Over my dead body Clark I'm not letting you do this. She's made her choice let her go!"

Clark sighed, "Sorry Kara... for once I actually am... but there's nothing you can do to stop me." His gaze drifted down her arm.

Kara furrowed her brows, and followed his gaze, looking down at her hand, her eyes widened, to see the silver ring, laced with blue kryptonite on her finger, bounding her powers. How did she not realize he had tackled her to the ground and taken the ring out of her pocket, trapping her powers. Kara looked up in panic as she watched him open the French doors, ready to leave, "Clark!" He stopped in his tracks, "Please don't do this... you're better than this... I know you're hurting but I promise you... it'll get better... it gets better, don't do this don't make it worse." She pleaded, "I could see you changing from the person you were when you first got here and that's all because of her. Don't do this to yourself... be the bigger person and leave her alone please!" She waited as he made no motion to respond, "Was this all for nothing?!" She exclaimed, trying to reason with him.

Clark swallowed hard as he raised his head, breathing heavily, looking up at the night sky, "You don't understand, she's everything I've always needed. Without her I'm no one. I thought I could let that go earlier... she made it all make sense... but now... now that he's back... he's going to take everything away... I can't let that happen Kara. I won't. And if that makes me no different than the person I was when I first got here then so be it. As long as I have her I don't care."

And with that, he blurred into the night sky, leaving Kara in a frenzied panic as she cursed and ran out the door, running as fast as she can with her human speed, taking out her cell phone, "J'onn it's Kara! We have a problem!" She breathed out as she raced down the staircase, not slowing down one bit as she kept running.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC<strong>

**Well I have a special treat for all of you, I will be posting up the next chapter VERY soon it is ready to be publish later TODAY! So no more waiting around for the next couple of weeks, I feel like I'll be finishing publishing this entire story within at least two weeks :D!**

**So start reviewing this chapter before I post the next one:)!**


	45. Vindicated

**Chapter 45: Vindicated- Dashboard Confessional**

_**Hope dangles on a string. Like slow spinning redemption, winding in and winding out. The sine of it has caught my eye. And roped me in so mesmerizing, so hypnotizing I am captivated. I am vindicated. I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right, I swear I'm right. I swear I knew it all along. And I am flawed. But I am cleaning up so well. I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself.**_

Lois slowly climbed up the stairs of the loft, walking towards the window as she stared up at the full moon, just waiting for absolution, some sign letting her know it was all gonna be okay. She swallowed hard as she closed her eyes, feeling the night breeze against her face. Lois slowly opened her eyes, her brows drew together as she felt a presence behind her. Spinning around, her eyes widened when she saw the silhouette of a tall man in the dark. Lois' breathing hitched as she stood frozen in place, as she watched them take a step forward, "I know I should've stayed away... I know that's what you said you wanted from me... but do you really think you're someone I can let go so easily?"

Lois' eyes widened when she heard his deep voice, "Clark... why are you here?" She asked.

Clark Luthor strode towards her in determination and she stumbled back as he was a mere inches away from her, "Because! I'm not the good guy remember..." He said through his teeth, piercing his blue eyes into hers, "I'm the selfish one. I take what I want, I do what I want. I don't do the right thing! But being with you is the only thing I feel is right... and I can't let that go." He brought his hand up to cup her face, and Lois shook her head at him, moving her face away, but held his hand with hers.

"Clark... you and I both know this isn't right. We were never meant to be. You belong in Earth-2 with your Lois and I belong here... with my Clark. I know you. I know you're better than this-"

Clark shook his head and let out a dark chuckle that sent a shiver down her spine, "You're lying Lois... There's always been this deep connection between us that can't be broken. Deep down you want to be with me as much as I do, and you're lying to me, you're lying to Kent and most of all you're lying to yourself... you want to know how I know that?"

He held her face in his hands and pulled her in and captured her lips, but Lois didn't respond as she pushed her hands against his chest, moving her face away, "Clark-" She tried to break the kiss as he continued to press his lips against hers, but when he felt her pulling away, he stopped, looking down at her in confusion, "Don't do this... I care about you... I care about you so much." He looked down at her with his jaw clenched, "But I love Clark Kent... I'm so sorry... but it's always been him."

Clark ground his teeth as he held her wrists in his hands, she felt his breath on her face, "Unless he never comes back. We both know the kind of life we could've lived together if you never found out about him... I could make you the happiest woman in the world. I could give you everything Lois... and I'm not letting you go without a fight."

Lois furrowed her brows, "That's not what I want. It wouldn't be real..."

He narrowed his eyes at her as he grabbed a hold of her waist with one hand, while the other trapped her wrists together, making her slightly gasp in pain, as he held her firmly against his chest, "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel something when I touch you, when I kiss you... when I held you after we made love" Lois winced as he squeezed her wrists tightly. He looked down at her hands and brought them up to his lips, "I can take you away from here, somewhere no one can find us... and it'll just be me you and Chris... living our lives happy without anyone getting in the way. Let me be that guy for you... forget about Kent." He said in a steady tone.

Lois swallowed hard as she shook her head, trying to mask away her fear, "You'd be getting in the way of my happiness then Clark" She breathed out as her voice cracked, "My husband is moments away from life... and that's all I want. You want to give me everything I've ever wanted? Let me be with him... and most of all... I need you to embrace that humanity inside of you, all I want from you, is to love... and be loved in return. And I've told you this before... she's the one you need. It's not me. It's never been me."

Clark stared into her eyes for a long moment, both stayed silent as he took a step back from her, letting go of her wrists, while Lois rubbed them, watching Clark back away from her. He looked around at the loft, seeing familiar parts of a family, of a life belonging here... only it was a life he never belonged to. Swallowing down his rage, he looked up at Lois with emotionless eyes, "I see I was only someone to keep the sheets warm until you got what you wanted" He replied coldly.

Lois rolled her eyes at him, getting tired of the same hot and cold circle they ran around in, "You know that's a load of crap coming out of your mouth." His head flinched as he heard her words, "Are you not listening to a single word I'm saying? I'm saying this because of how much I care about you. You and I both needed each other in order to open our eyes to realize what was broken in our lives. We fixed each other, that's the unbreakable bond we've created... and now we both have to pursue what we've always wanted." She moved towards him as he made no reaction to their closeness, "Don't you understand? I never used you... I never expected us to end up here. And look at you... you're... you're a good person Clark. No matter how much you want to deny it you have embraced that side of you to be the person your world truly needs. To be Earth-2's greatest hero... and I promise you'll never be alone... you'll only find that out if you open your mind to what you can do back in your world. You can be with your soul-mate." She smiled back at him, "You can be happy... I promise. But I can't give you what you want..." For the first time ever, Lois saw tears in his eyes, glistening from the moonlight, taking his face in his hands, she spoke softly, "You won't be alone Clark... nobody does it alone. You needed me... and I needed you."

Clark breathed in heavily, speaking in a cold tone, "For what"

The corner of her mouth curved up, "To remember... and to let go." Clark stared back at her, and slightly nodded as Lois wrapped her arms around his neck, and pulled him in for a hug. Clark hesitated for a moment, and tightly wound his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder and he closed his eyes, losing himself in her embrace.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that, but when they pulled away, Lois waited for him to speak, watching him thinking hard, the creases on his forehead deepening, "There's nothing I can say to keep you with me is there..." Lois' lips parted as she sighed deeply, staring up with him with a tint of sadness in her eyes. Clark didn't speak as her silence gave him his answer. He stepped away from her, letting his hands linger on her, relishing in her touch, in her warmth, and silently walked down the stairs, as Lois watched him leave the loft.

"Where are you going?" She asked. Clark didn't answer as he continued down the stairs. She sighed as she walked down to follow him, but when she arrived outside the loft, he was nowhere in sight, looking around the field, Lois took a deep breath, feeling a deep pain in her heart for Clark Luthor, hoping he was alright. She knew he needed time alone right now... he couldn't be around her anymore... not when their hearts were no longer in the same place. Taking a painful, deep breath, Lois looked around the farm, waiting for any sign of him. After a while, she finally went back to the farm house.

Closing the door behind her, Lois walked through the kitchen, towards the living room to see Clark Kent lying unconscious on the couch, while Martha was upstairs. Lois stared back down at her husband's form in silence, listened to the ticking sound of the clock. Her heart thumping in her chest rapidly as she walked around the couch, and knelt down beside him. Swallowing back the lump in her throat, Lois slightly brushed his dark hair off his forehead. Entwining their hands together, Lois took her free hand and wrapped it around the back of his neck, bringing her face closer to his, leaning her forehead against his, their lips were a mere breath apart. She could feel his lips lightly brush against hers like a feather, closing her eyes, she felt his breath softly brush against her face, feeling that pain for Clark Luthor be replaced with something else... hope. After a moment of silence, she whispered ever so softly, "I miss you..." Breathing in his scent, she began to recite her wedding vows under her breath, "Life is meant to be a little messy and when it comes to love I think it's like what my dad always said about the army... you only sign up if it's the only thing you could ever imagine doing. And Clark I cannot imagine spending a moment of my life without you. So I promise I will always have your back as you will always have mine. You're my best friend, you're my home, and you're my true love. And I am yours and will be forever." She remained resting her head against his for a moment longer before she opened her eyes and pull her face a mere inch away. Her eyes widened as she was met with a pair of blue eyes staring up at her. Her breath got caught in her throat as she felt as if time had stopped, and it was just the two of them, staring back at one another. Lois began to tremble as she remained holding his head in her hand, and entwined fingers that squeezed hers in return.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC!<strong>

**MAJOR short chapter I know but I feel these two scenes really needed it's own chapter without any other scenes from the other characters, purely CL/LL scene with the big wake up scene. That was the real tricky part of writing the scene where CK finally wakes up I wanted it to be SUPER intense and thought of different ways he'd wake up and this is the best I could come up with hope it was intense enough loll let me know what you think of this chapter!**


	46. Everything

**Chapter 46:** **Everything- Lifehouse**

_**You calm the storms, and you give me rest. You hold me in your hands, you won't let me fall. You steal my heart, and you take my breath away. Would you take me in, take me deeper now. And how can I stand here with you, and not be moved by you? Would you tell me, how could it be any better than this? Cause you're all I want, you're all I need, you're everything, everything.**_

"_You're my best friend, you're my home, and you're my true love. And I am yours and will be forever."_

Those were the first words that softly rang through his ears as he had finally risen out of the deep sleep he had been succumbed into... and heard her beautifully strained voice reciting her wedding vows to him. He heard her voice and hers alone bringing him back to life, bringing him out of the comatose state, as he slowly lifted his eyelids open, and was welcomed with her face a mere breath away from his. He couldn't make a noise as he simply stared up at her until she had finally opened her eyes and saw the utter shock that froze her very being.

Lois couldn't breathe, she couldn't speak, all she could do was stare back at those lively blue eyes staring back at her. Her lips parted and her eyes widened in shock, she didn't know what to do, how to react, and felt his hand squeeze hers tightly against his chest, feeling the beat of his heart against her palm. She didn't dare make a noise, fearing she was dreaming and any sign of movement would pull her away from this moment.

Clark's eyes glistened as his heart swam with the joy of waking up to his wife... after unknowingly being trapped in a solitary black abyss, away from her... for two years. His eyes fluttered as he brought his hand up to gently cup her face. She didn't flinch as she felt his hand against her face, making no movement whatsoever. Clark wondered whether this was all a dream as he strained to finally find his voice, and ever so softly whispered, "Lois..." She still didn't react and he wondered whether she was in complete shock. Taking a slow, deep breath, breathing in the air of the home Planet he truly missed breathing in, Clark found his strength and began to sit up on the couch, letting the red blanket fall down to his waist, and Lois moved away as she sat on her knees on the floor in front of him with her eyes bulging out of their sockets... to see him move, sit up, stare back at her. She let her hands fall on her lap as her lips were slightly parted. Clark moved forward on the couch, and cupped her face in his hands, bringing her face closer to his, and the memories began to flood before her eyes.

Their kisses, the first time they met at the cornfield, their never ending banter throughout high school, being partners in crime at the Daily Planet, to all the times he had saved her from her own troubles, when he took her flying into the stars, making love and waking up to see his face every morning, kissing him goodbye before he goes off to save the day, the moment he got down on one knee and told her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, the moment they found out they were going to be parents. The moments he made her heart sore into the skies, the moment he was taken away from her by Doomsday and raised their son by herself, two years of having to move on without him, and the moment he finally opened his eyes, sitting in front of her... alive.

"Lois..." He breathed out as she closed her eyes, her heart reliving the pain and joy of those memories, "Lois it's me..." He moved her hair behind her ears and tilted his head, watching her as she squeezed her eyes shut, while her hands found his face, and pulled him towards her, wrapping her arms around his neck as he wrapped his around her shoulders tightly, as she buried her face in his chest. Clark squeezed the back of her head as they hugged so tight there was no room whatsoever between them, keeping them apart, "It's me baby... I got you... I got you" He soothed as she sobbed in his chest, tightening her grip on him, not wanting to let go. When she finally loosened her grip, Clark pulled her back to face him and Lois still had her eyes closed, as he cupped her face, waiting for her to open them.

Lois squeezed her eyes tightly shut before finally opening them, mesmerized by his awakening, she brought her hands and traced the features of his face with her fingers. She traced the outlines of his eyes, his cheek bone, down to jaw, and then traced his lips, as Lois silently cried and laughed at the same time, ready to collapse in his arms as she held his face, "It's really you..." She breathed out as her tears streamed down her face. Clark's heart broke when he saw how much his wife had been in pain after he had left, watching her relief, and break down from having him back, he held her face and leaned his forehead against hers, "Kiss me Clark..." She said in between her sobs.

With tears welled up in his eyes, Clark couldn't help the grin spread across his face, as he crashed his lips against hers, she grabbed the back of his head, wanting to pull him closer, breathing in each other, kissing each other without breaking contact for one moment, igniting the fire and love that had been locked away for years, once Lois had to pull away to breathe, her lips still lingered against his, feeling that gentleness she deeply missed from her husband. Wrapping their arms around each other, they embraced, as Martha ran down the stairs when she heard voices coming from downstairs and let out a gasp when she saw the back of her son, sitting up, locked in an intimate embrace with his wife, and she couldn't help the tears that fell down her face as she clutched her chest, pure happiness sparked through her.

As all this was going on, no one noticed the tall, dark haired figure staring into the kitchen window, watching the intimate scene take place before him, and couldn't hide away the deep pain he felt, his heart being shattered into a million pieces as he watched Lois' face light up when he woke up, how much she kissed him with passion, how she held him as if she never wanted to let him go. He clenched his jaw, swallowing back the lump in his throat as he closed his eyes, turning away from the window, not wanting to see it any longer. She made her choice. All he wanted to do now was get out of this world... back to his solitary state where he had full control of his life, where no woman would take his heart away like she did, leaving him powerless. A place where he needed power.

He opened his eyes when he heard a fuel engine noise and saw a jet landing on the field in the distance, and suddenly turn invisible. Clark Luthor's brows drew together when he saw Chloe, Bruce, Oliver, Tess, and Emil come out of the jet, running towards the farm house. He sped away, hiding behind the shadows as they walked past him, unnoticed.

Everyone but Bruce had went inside, when he noticed a dark figure lurking in the shadows. Slowly walking towards the figure, he stopped before Clark Luthor, who glared back at him. Bruce took a deep breath and dug his hands in his pocket, "What's going on... what are you doing here?" He asked.

Clark stared back at him for a long moment, remaining silent before simply stating, "He's awake."

Tilting his head to the side, Bruce nodded in comprehension, "You okay?" He asked.

Clark scoffed and turned away, "You think this phases me? I'm not some little mutt who needs to be comforted. Lois meant nothing... I got to use her for my entertainment as well as I could." He swallowed hard as he looked up at the night sky, "I just came here to see it for myself... nothing more."

Bruce stared back at him for a while and let out a chuckle, "So you're back to that now huh? Pretending like you don't care, like nothing affects you. She must be the only one to make you feel human and you hate it... so you're shutting it off again?" He shook his head, "Don't do that to yourself man..."

Clark smirked as he turned back to him, "And what about you?" Bruce furrowed his brows, "You gonna admit to you 'best friend' in there that you're in love with his wife? That you wish it was you who was with her instead of him? You're not gonna admit the fact that you're a little disappointed that he's back... and you lost your chance with her forever? You see at least I have the liberty to leave this place and never have to see her again. But you... you're a part of this little team, you have to deal with this now."

The corner of Bruce's mouth curved up, "You see that's the difference, I've already moved on from this... from her."

With a dark chuckle, Clark shook his head, "Just like that huh? Now look who's in denial" He pulled at the corner of his mouth.

With a shrug, Bruce replied, "Lois will always mean something to me I won't deny that like you... but I've always accepted that her heart belonged to him... She was never mine, I've accepted that there's someone else I need... and she's waiting for me in Gotham. So I'm gonna be alright. My question is... are you?" Clark's smirk faded away as he stared back at Bruce, clenching his jaw as he swallowed hard, looking down, while Bruce stepped towards him, clamping his hand on his shoulder, to which Clark made no effort to flinch away from, "Look I know we haven't always seen eye to eye. And I know it must be hard... she's made it hard. But at the same time... you have to wonder what this was all for? This isn't the end man. It gets better."

Clark shook his head, "I've been hearing that a lot lately..."

Bruce simply shrugged, "Maybe it's a sign that you should actually listen. And quit being an ass to cover up the fact that you're not okay."

Clark bit the inside of his cheek as he remained silent, lifting his head up to stare back at Bruce and nodded, "Let me know when you get the mirror box back" to which Bruce nodded back as Clark shrugged away from his grip, and walked into the dark distance. While Bruce looked back at the farmhouse, and walked towards the door, gripping the handle, opening the door to reveal another Clark... His close comrade and friend... alive and well.

Bruce sighed and couldn't stop the smile that appeared on his face, "Well it's about time... Welcome back to the land of the living Kent."

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><p><strong>TBC!<strong>

**Super short chapter I know I'll make it up to you in the next one I promise!**

**Please leave your reviews:)**


	47. Promise

**Chapter 47: Promise- Ben Howard**

_**And meet me there, bundles of flowers, we wait through the hours of cold. Winter shall howl at the walls, tearing down doors of time. Shelter as we go... And promise me this, you'll wait for me only, scared of the lonely arms. Surface far below these words. And maybe, just maybe, I'll come home. I come alone here.**_

Clark slipped on a grey t-shirt as he stared back at his reflection in the mirror. He blinked back at himself, staring deeply into his own self... realizing the implication as he swallowed down the lump in his throat. Two years. Was it really possible he was gone for that long? It only seemed like yesterday when he was fighting off Doomsday... and died. He gripped the edge of the sink, a tremor rushing down his body. He continued to stare at the mirror until someone joined his own reflection behind him. His eyes softened when he saw his wife standing by the doorway, looking fragile, as if she was about to crumble, staring back at him through the mirror. He turned around to face her, both remaining silent... their exchange of looks told each other what they've wanted to say. Words could not be expressed at that moment when everything was said through just that look.

I missed you.

What took you so long...

I don't ever want to live without you.

I need you.

I love you...

Taking a step towards her, Clark stopped when they heard the voices of their closest friends downstairs calling for him. After bursting into the Kent farm, everyone wore the same shocked look as they saw Clark Kent alive and well in Lois' arms, and they expressed their emotional reunion with their leader and dear friend, after which Clark came upstairs to get dressed while they waited downstairs. Clark looked towards the stairs, then back to her with a small smile. While Lois continued to stare back at him in amazement, pulling a strand of hair behind her ear, she composed herself, putting on the brave face he was always used to whenever she wanted to hide from being emotional and vulnerable in front of him. She replied in a throaty voice, "We should probably go back downstairs... they're waiting for you."

Clark's lips parted as he couldn't take his eyes off of her, as he spoke softly, "They can wait a little longer... I can think of someone else who's waited long enough."

He saw a flash of emotion in her hazel eyes, as they fluttered, taking a deep breath, she tilted her head, "Me too... but they flew all this way. We should get some answers first. Something tells me they had a lot to do with... you coming back."

Clark sighed deeply as he extended his hand towards her, Lois smiled softly and took his hand in hers, felt his warmth she missed so much, as they went back downstairs where some of the League members and his mother were waiting. They all looked up, while Chloe had tears in her eyes, Tess' heart still melted at the sight of the man who didn't hesitate to give her a second chance to redeem her life and work alongside him for years, and feel truly a part of a family. Emil, who was introduced to the Kryptonian long ago, formed a close bond with his family as he helped bring his son into the world and tend for him when Clark couldn't. Oliver and Bruce, his best friends felt a sense of joy and relief to see their leader back. And his mother, who couldn't stop the tears continuing to stream down her face even now, the feeling of having her son back was an unexplainable and unconditional happiness. Clark could truly feel the love and bond of his friends and family... and the hole he left in their lives when he died, which sent a deep ache in his chest. He looked down at Lois, who didn't hide her love, and longing for him, but could sense something else... guilt... and fear in her eyes. He couldn't understand why he sensed that... but it was there. He was sure of it. And he knew he couldn't confront it now... not with everyone around. But the time will come... to find out what she's holding in.

Emil began checking his vitals, and chuckled to himself, "Well I don't see how I'm surprised at this, but you seem perfectly healthy... it's like your body had never shut down." Clark sighed and nodded while Lois swallowed hard with relief that he was okay, keeping her hand on his back as he smiled back at her.

He turned to Chloe, his oldest and best friend, and could see her hiding her smile when she walked up to him and gave him a tight hug, which was less suffocating than the one she gave when she first walked in, "I still can't believe it's you... you made it Clark... I knew you would." She said with a grin, swallowing back a sob while Clark grinned back at her and kissed her forehead.

When she pulled away, Chloe turned to Lois, and her smile faded when she saw Lois glaring at her, clenching her jaw. Clearly seeing the fearless anger in her cousin's eyes, knowing she has yet to gain her forgiveness. Swallowing hard, Chloe stepped away silently, while Clark sighed, "It's so good to be back... honestly it feels like yesterday when I fought Doomsday and I'm just waking up from a long sleep."

Oliver smirked, "Long sleep is right... two years of being dead was no vacation for us Clark. It really took a toll on us." He smiled slightly.

Clark sighed and nodded, "I know... I'm sorry for that-"

"You don't have anything to apologize for" Tess said, "It wasn't your fault you died... things just really changed around here when you did." She eyed Lois who stared back at her intently.

Clark put his arm around Lois' shoulders, bringing her close to his chest, needing to feel her as he spoke to everyone, "I know. But I'm sure it wasn't easy... and I just wish I wasn't gone for this long... I missed so much... I wasn't there for all the things you've gone through. But I'm sure you all grew close and helped each other. Even without me you were a team... we're a family. And I thank you all for being there for Lois... when I couldn't be." They all nodded in understanding, and Clark noticed none of them made eye contact as they either turned away or looked down. He furrowed his brows in confusion when he felt his wife go tense in his arms, but she wounded her arms tightly around his waist, creating zero distance between them and he simply squeezed her back, "So tell me... this wasn't just a coincidence that Jor-El found me and brought me back from the dead. What did you guys do?" He said, eyeing them intently.

Oliver looked back at Chloe who wouldn't meet his eyes, she ran her fingers through her hair and let out a breathless chuckle, "I think maybe you should sit down Clark... this could take a while."

His brows drew together as he looked back at everyone, "I think I'll stand... what's going on, what happened to me?"

Bruce scratched his stubble as he stepped forward, "It's a long story... dating back to your funeral"

Clark winced at that, "There was a funeral?"

Oliver shrugged, "Where else were we gonna put your body" He chuckled while no one laughed as he cleared his throat.

Everyone stayed silent when Tess raised her brows, "Chloe" She directed at the blonde, opening the stage for her as Clark and Lois stared back at her in question. Clark looking concerned while Lois narrowed her eyes at her cousin.

Chloe sighed and began telling Clark of his funeral they had, and the mausoleum the city created in honor of Superman. She then explained hers and J'onn's plan of bringing his body to the Fortress without anyone's knowledge and tried to revive him using various techniques. Then she explained how his body disappeared, that it was trapped within the border world between Earth-1 and Earth-2 along with the mirror box. Chloe then rushed forward, "There was a way to bring you and the mirror box back... by transferring the Fortress into the Crystal of Knowledge. I used Tess' generator to activate the crystal and with the help of Jor-El... I tracked you down through different planes of existence. I became Jor-El's vessel. All his Kryptonian intelligence is embedded in my head... and that's how I brought you back." Her voice trailed off, anxious to see their reaction.

Clark's eyes widened as he rushed towards her, "Chloe what were you thinking?! Becoming a human vessel for Kryptonian intelligence is dangerous and you know that! This is exactly how you almost died because Brainiac was in your head!" He grabbed her arms, "WHY?! Why would you risk your life like that?!"

Chloe placed her hands on his chest, "Clark I did what I had to do-"

"How could you let her do this?!" Clark exclaimed to Oliver, "Chloe what did Jor-El do to you-"

"Clark calm down look at me! I'm fine okay, look I'm totally fine. No one's invading my head. Jor-El gave me his word he'll try his best to keep my mind safe and I trusted him. It worked, that's all that matters. And your family needed you here Clark. I knew there was a chance to bring you back and I took it no questions asked!" Clark was about to retort when Chloe interrupted, "Look you risked your life on a DAILY BASIS for us... I owed you this. This was what I knew would bring you back. Lois needed you. I did this for her." Chloe moved to look at Lois who looked completely taken aback, "I did it for you Lois... it was all for you"

Lois shook her head, breathing heavily, "Chloe I never wanted you to risk your own life for me like that"

Chloe nodded as she walked around Clark towards her, "I know that... but this was what I knew that would fix this. I needed to fix this... for you." She leaned in and whispered, "I wanted to show you you can always turn to us when you need help and comfort Lois... you only need us. You don't need some parallel version of him. You have us. And this is my apology. I shouldn't have kept this from you. I shouldn't have kept anything from you I know I was wrong. I had no right... I'm sorry. This was my responsibility, I did whatever I could to make things right for your sake... I'm so sorry."

Lois had her tears pooled in her eyes as her voice trembled, "You could've died... What if this didn't work... I would've lost you too! Do you understand that?!"

Chloe nodded as she took her cousin's face in her hands, "I know... I know. But you didn't, look I'm fine. I knew if I never tried this I'd look back wondering what if I did... think of all the plans you made with Clark... you could do them now Lois. Anniversaries, Birthdays, graduation... you don't have to be alone anymore you have him back now. All I want is for you to be happy."

Lois let out a deep breath, as she took her cousin in her arms, "I can't believe you did this... for me. You're crazy! You're such an idiot you could've died!" Chloe chuckled as she hugged her tightly, both with tears in their eyes, "Thank you cuz... I don't know what else to say. I love you..." She whispered.

When she pulled away, Chloe sniffed, turning to Clark, who shook his head, grabbing her in for a hug again, "Chloe... What you've done... I can't tell you what this means to me." He took a deep breath as he stared back at her, "We need to take you to the Fortress and get you back to your normal self" Chloe waved him off.

"Have your powers returned Clark?" Emil asked with interest.

Clark sighed, shaking his head, "No... I need to wait for the sun to come up" He looked back at everyone and thought for a moment, "You left out parts of the story... like how does the mirror box have anything to do with this? Why was I in the border between the two Earths anyways?" Everyone stayed silent, holding their breath as Clark waited, "What aren't you telling me?" He asked, his voice trailing off as he narrowed his eyes at them.

Lois opened her mouth behind him, hesitating to speak, when Tess cut in, "We'll save that for another time. It's not important right now... What _is_ important is that you spend some quality time with your family while we head back to Watchtower. There are some heroes around the world we need to give life changing news to." Lois turned to Tess, giving a nod of gratitude, while Tess winked back at her with a smile.

"What about Chloe-" Clark started.

"Clark or the thousandth time I'll be fine your father won't corrupt me... but I'll get Kara to activate the Fortress again you just stay here and stop worrying about everything..." She gave him a meaningful smile, "It's almost like you never left..."

They all said goodbye to Clark as they left, while Bruce stood in front of him, "Do me a favor Kent. Don't die on us again. It wasn't a good time when you did." His eyes went to Lois when he continued, "Don't put them through it again. They need you Clark... and it's good to have you back." Clark smiled back at Bruce as they shook hands. Bruce nodded back at Lois, giving her a meaningful look, before leaving with the rest of the gang.

Clark went over to the kitchen, taking in a deep breath as he looked out the window, into the night sky, awaiting for the rise of the sun, to bring him back his powers, to give him life again. He closed his eyes, relishing in the feeling... the feeling of being alive. Everything he had been waiting to do... everything he was meant to be coming back to him. He opened his eyes when he heard footsteps walking towards him and found his mother staring back at him with a meaningful look, "How are you feeling?" She asked in a weak tone.

He gave her a small smile and held his arms out, as he embraced his mother, she kissed his hand and he heard her sniff back her tears, "I'll get better once the sun comes up"

Martha swallowed hard, "Oh Clark... I can't believe you're actually here... that you're alive. Tell me this isn't some apparition of you. That you're here for good."

Clark smiled back at her and hugged her once more, "I promise, I'm back for good."

Martha sighed of relief, "I'm so happy... I missed you honey." When they pulled out of the embrace, Martha wiped her tears, "Are you hungry? You want me to make you something? Cherry cobbler?"

Clark chuckled as he held her shoulders, "Mom I don't want you to go through that trouble it's past 4 in the morning you should go get some rest."

She scoffed at him, "I can't sleep... not when my only son has come back to me after over two years" She chuckled, but noticed his smile falter as he swallowed hard, pulling up a kitchen stool and sitting himself down. Martha sat down as well, holding his hand in hers.

Clark stayed silent for a moment before asking, "How did this all happen? The last thing I remember is fighting Doomsday, and then I wake up in some kind of black hole with Jor-El telling me I've been dead for two years, and here I am... alive again." He squeezed his mother's hands, "Mom... I missed so much. What happened in these two years?"

Martha hesitated before, clearing her throat, and pulling her hair behind her ear, "I don't think I'm the one you should be asking. But what I can tell you is... that it has been very difficult... for all of us after you left." She told him about the funeral they had for him, "It was a beautiful ceremony... everyone was there." Clark slowly leaned back in his chair, looking in the distance, as he swallowed hard at the impact of his 'death'. This was all too overwhelming... too real.

Shaking his head, Clark stared back at her. It felt like he had simply fallen asleep after his fight with Doomsday, and woke up again at Jor-El's voice, to find himself in a vortex... then journeyed back to Smallville, and woke up again with Lois in his arms. Clark furrowed his brows, "What else happened? What aren't you telling me?"

Martha's eyes softened, "That's not a conversation to have with me sweetheart. There is much you need to know. And you have all the time in the world for that."

Clark was about to speak when he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen. Clark's eyes drifted past Martha and he suddenly sat straight, his face tightened, eyes widened and his heart fluttered out of his chest when he slowly stood up from his chair, and his eyes never left the little being Lois held in her arms as she cautiously approached him with a slight smile. Clark's lips parted when he saw the ruffled, thin dark hair, the familiar blue eyes staring back at him, and the clear irritation and exhaustion on his face which reflected that of Lois' whenever her sleep was interrupted. Lois kept her eyes on Clark as she held their son close to her chest, "There is someone who has been dying to meet you Clark... he's been waiting for you. Meet Christopher Clark Kent..." Her eyes went to her son, and she grinned at him, to which the boy grinned back, grabbing her face with his little hands, burying his face in her shoulder, "Chris... this is your daddy." She whispered ever so softly.

Martha stood as well, tears welling up in her eyes, clutching her chest as she watched the scene unfold, as Chris finally pulled away from his mother, and turned to face Clark, both blue eyes staring back at each other. Clark looked completely taken aback, as his heart swelled, and Chris gave him a toothy grin and held his arms out to him. Clark slowly took his son in his arms, holding him for the first time, and felt the warmth emanating into him, staring into his eyes, seeing himself and Lois in the miracle they've both created. The emotions rushed through him as he held his two year old son in his arms, "Lois..." He breathed out, "He so beautiful..." He said in a shaky voice, a sob threatening to escape as he hugged his son close to his chest, and the tears began to fall down his face, kissing his little cheek, Clark's shoulders heaved as the emotions took over. Lois tried to stay strong and held her tears back. It was then when Clark grabbed her and pulled her into his arms, embracing both his son and his wife after all this time, "I've been gone for so long..." He breathed out.

Chris, who looked up at the familiar man holding him, raising his little hand up to press against his cheek, where his tears fell. Looking down at his hand, Chris' beady eyes stared back up at him in confusion at the tears falling down his father's cheek, while Clark was smiling at the same time, kissing his son's forehead.

Lois looked up at her boys, and spoke softly, "You're here now... it was well worth the wait baby." After a while, Clark was finally told of when their son was born, how Lois took him to visit the mausoleum after to see his daddy, and the many many stories of being raised with the help of superheroes. All the while, Clark fed him, played with Chris, and both he and Lois finally put him down for bed together as he kept dozing off. He wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulder, looking down at their son as Lois swallowed hard, "I can't tell you how many times I've dreamt of this moment" Clark turned his head to look at her, "The moment where you and I would tuck our son in together, watching him sleep together before going to bed..." She closed her eyes slowly, "I can't tell you how many times I wake up every morning, thinking you'd be lying beside me... and that everything was all a dream... that you weren't really gone. But after a while... the dreams disappeared... and it really got to me... I didn't think I could handle living the rest of my life without you." Clark took her shoulders and gently turned her to face him. Lois finally opened her eyes and he stared back at her intently. This was it, "Clark... There's something I have to tell you" She said weakly.

Clark nodded cautiously, he knew there was something she was holding inside, some sort of torment she was keeping to herself, seeing her conflicted as he simply replied, "Okay..." With that, she took his hand and led him out of the room, down the stairs, and walked outside, towards the loft, where they would be alone, and Lois led him up the stairs, looking back at the place where she had her very last conversation with Clark Luthor. Taking a deep, shaky breath, Lois turned to him, and they both sat down on the couch. Clark stared back at Lois as she kept her eyes on her lap, playing with the edge of her sweater. He lifted her chin with his finger, and saw her glistening eyes stare back at him, "Lois... whatever it is... you can tell me. I'm right here" He said softly.

Lois swallowed hard and nodded, grabbing his hand with hers, and squeezing it hard as she took a deep, shaky breath...

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><p><strong>TBC...<strong>


	48. Gone

**Chapter 48: Gone- Olivia Broadfield**

_**And I gave you all I'm sure I can give. But it's not enough, and I feel it sting. And our roses died and the neighbours knew, and the house moved on to someone new. And I know you won't be satisfied 'til the fire inside burns like you once knew. But it's gone, and I'm leaving, and your storm keeps on raging. Yes I'm gone, and I'm leaving, and your storm keeps on raging. And I wish you could share in a blame, but you load your gun, as you take your aim. And I'm lying still, with my heart on the ground, and you're saying things just to keep me down. And I finally found, that I found my voice, and I'm saying all these things just cause I've got the choice. And it's gone, and I'm leaving and your storm keeps on raging. **_

_Smallville- The Loft_

She began telling him of how much she missed him, how much she thought of him, how much it to hurt not to be with him. And she explained how they had celebrated Christmas for the first time since he 'died' and the New Years following. She told him of how she visited the mausoleum and finally went inside, telling him everything she wanted to tell him when she was standing in front of his casket, to the point where she brought Chris back to Smallville for the night, and came to this very loft, found his box of Kryptonian artifacts... and found the mirror box. Lois could not read his expression as he simply listened while Lois explained what exactly was going on in her head when she activated the mirror box... and brought Clark Luthor to their world. She watched Clark's eyes widen as his body went stiff when he heard Clark Luthor was here. Lois swallowed back her anxiety and continued speaking in a calm manner, while her heart was racing, ready to jump out of her chest. She told him how the League had reacted and how they had locked him up, and Lois knew it was her responsibility and suggested he live with her. She told him of how they both felt over the course of the months spent living together, how Clark Luthor had finally softened up, but still remained a closed book, until he finally opened up to her slowly, and got close to their son. How she told him of Clark Kent's life story, telling him of his own origins, how she felt sympathetic to the fact that he was stuck under Lionel's upbringing and control that she had finally begun to understand the darkness lingering within Clark Luthor. She told him of their fight, how he pulled away from her because of the feelings he was having for her.

Lois began to tell Clark of her investigation she was working on to which Luthor was helping her out a little, and how she had gotten kidnapped and almost died, but Clark Luthor had saved her, saved her son from losing another parent. Lois had told him of her own developing feelings for him, that had only grown over time of getting to know him, and they got to a point where they admitted their feelings for one another and inevitably... made love with one another. Lois still couldn't read Clark's expression as she continued without pausing. She continued to explain what she found out from Chloe, and everything up until now.

Clark sat motionless, and quiet as Lois finally breathed. As he didn't utter a word, Lois sighed deeply and spoke in a soft, weak tone, "Please say something"

Clark turned his head and stood up, walking towards the window, watching the sun finally rise, seeing daylight wash over Smallville, feeling the strength he had gained from the sun, giving him life. He swallowed hard as he took in everything Lois had just told him, shaking his head, although the sun was giving him life, there was an ache in his chest as he repeated her words in his head, "I don't even know what to say..." He replied.

Lois stood up as well, and walked to stand beside him, watching his face while he stared at the scene in front of him, "Everything that I went through after you died was hell. Your death broke me Clark. It took me a long time to accept that. I spent over two years without you... with any shred of hope thinking you'd come back to me one day... and when you didn't... I got desperate. It was my greatest weakness... losing you. And when Clark Luthor came... he made it better. He fixed me. I'm all glued back together now because of him. When that thing killed you it killed me too. And I had to find a way to fix that again... for Chris."

"Chris..." Clark breathed out, "Lois you brought another man into our son's life... who looks like me... but he isn't." He turned towards her, "What if Chris thinks I'm him Lois? What if I'm not the person our son wants me to be?"

Lois drew her brows together, "That's absurd Clark you're his father. No one can take that away from you." His lips parted as he sighed, and Lois swallowed hard as her heart ached, "Please don't hate me..."

Clark shook his head, as he turned away from her, "I could never hate you Lois... What you've been through... it's not something I ever wanted to put you through. I never wanted you to feel this hurt and alone because of me" Lois was about to argue that it wasn't his fault until Clark cut in, "But the other part of me... is hurt... that you went to such extremes like this..." He swallowed hard, "I don't know how to accept this..." He took a deep breath and faced her again, "Do you love him?" He asked with uncertainty.

Lois blinked, and tilted her head at him, with a sigh, she replied, "I love you..."

Clark stayed silent for a moment, staring back at her, deep in thought before he spoke, "That doesn't answer my question... do you love him?"

Her lips parted, as she straightened up, "I love the part of him that reminds me of you... so yes, in a way I did... but not the way you think " Lois stared back into his eyes, watching him pull away from her as she took a deep, shaky breath, "I figured... if I couldn't love anyone but you... why should I live in a world where you don't exist?" Shaking her head, Lois swallowed hard as she spoke in a quiet tone while Clark wore a distant look on his face as he listened, "That's why I brought him here... Clark Luthor... I needed him... I needed him to help bring me back from that dark place... and he did... he did. I thought it was enough. I thought... being with Clark Luthor was better than not being with you..." She smiled slightly, "I know he's not you... but every time I looked into his eyes... I saw parts of you Clark. I see parts of him that no one else can... one half reminds me of your amazing courage, your strength, your vulnerability of going through life as an outsider, feeling alone, and different in our world... I saw all of that in both of you... and there's another half of him that... it's completely different from you... so much darker... he lacked the compassion that you got from your parents, and I've learned to help him get out of that dark place the same way he's brought me out of mine. We healed each other... and I thought that was it. I thought... this could be my closure from you... but I realized he's not you. He doesn't consume me the way you do... and I've ignored that for a long time... because I thought there was no way you'd come back to me. That's why I've kept him so close... because you weren't there. I didn't anticipate ever falling for him. It just happened... I just wanted to remember you... because I was scared I'd forget about you one day and I never wanted that. So I was naive enough to do this, and it wasn't fair to him or you for that matter. Do I regret it? No. Clark Luthor and I needed each other. But when Chloe told me what happened I made a choice right then and there... that there was room for only one Clark in my life. And I chose you. It's always been you Clark. No one else." She reached out and grabbed his hands in hers.

Clark swallowed hard as he looked down at their hands, he hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I'm worried you'll look at me one day and wish I was someone else... I mean after all this time you spent with Luthor... there's got to be something you see in him that you wished I had."

Lois blinked and ran her fingers through his hair, cupping his face as he lifted his gaze towards her. Lois bore her eyes into his with determination and spoke in a steady tone, "Clark-"

"You slept with him Lois" He cut in through gritted teeth, "There was something you felt that was so strong that you gave yourself to him... how can I compete with that?"

Lois shook her head in confusion, "There's no competition in this Clark-"

He let go of her hands as he paced around the loft, "Lois you let Clark Luthor be involved in my son's life... Luthor! He's created a bond with my son before I even could" He exclaimed, "How am I supposed to accept that? That he spent months with you... with my son. He's made his place in MY family... knowing all of this... how am I supposed to look you in the eyes and not wonder if it's me you want or Luthor. How am I supposed to look Chris in the eyes and not wonder if it's me he sees as his father or... Luthor..." He breathed out.

Her mouth opened, but no words were able to come out of her mouth at that moment. She walked up to him and took his face in her hands, "Clark, please look at me..." He took a long, deep breath, before looking down at her teary eyes, "I love you... no one can take that away from us... what I feel for you is far more that what I've ever felt for Clark Luthor... you have to understand that please"

Clark sighed as he pulled away from her, "I can't... Lois I can't. I need some time..." Her eyes widened as Lois' heart began to race.

"You don't mean that..." She spoke in a throaty voice, "Trust me Clark there's only room for one in mine and Chris' life, and it's ALWAYS you. You have to remember that. Chris is YOUR son. I'm YOUR wife. And deep down there is a strong bond between you and Chris, I promise you that. Deep down he's always known who his real father is. I believe in that and you should too. I know it was wrong of me to do this to you. But you have to understand I thought I was never gonna see you again-"

"So you decide to replace that with him?!" He said in exasperation, "If it was anyone else it'd be different because I understand you need to move on after all these years but Lois... this is Clark Luthor. This is different. You can't just stop and forget everything that's happened between you two now that I'm back. You slept together Lois..." His voice cracked, "That means something. Clark Luthor meant something more to you than you thought he did... it couldn't have been just about me..."

Lois' lips parted as she shook her head, "That's the thing Clark... it had everything to do with you. Yes we formed a close bond together... and I had strong feelings for him, but my heart always belonged to you" She said in a strained tone.

Clark closed his eyes, "I can't lie and tell you I believe that Lois... I just need some time, please." He whispered the last part. They stared back at each other for a long moment in silence, as no one said a word, after taking a deep breath, he disappeared in front of her eyes, and Lois' heart crumbled as she clutched her chest, looking around the loft as her bottom lip trembled, and she slowly lowered herself on the couch as the sun continued to rise over Smallville.

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><p><em>Metropolis<em>

Clark Luthor continued to look down at the city, hovering above the globe of the Daily Planet, relishing in his isolation, as he stared down… realizing there was no place for him in this world… he didn't belong here. As he continued to look down at the streetlights, the bustling people getting ready for work, going out for breakfast with their loved ones, he raised his head to stare out at the orange and red horizon, the rising sun, bringing about a new day on Earth. He lost himself in the light until a deep voice pulled him out of his reverie, "I've been looking everywhere for you Kal-El."

Luthor turned his head to see a dark skinned man hovering over the golden globe beside him, watching him intently, as Clark sighed, "Martian man… to what do I owe the pleasure." He replied in a dull tone.

J'onn sighed, "Kara told me what you had done, I must say I am impressed you took her by surprise… bounding her powers as she had done to you. Only you were strong enough to do it without the need of Kryptonite."

Luthor smirked, "Call it determination…"

J'onn nodded, "She was worried about you"

He continued to stare out into the distance in silence, "So what do you want" He asked, "I really don't see any point in you standing here any longer so you can go back to Blondie. Let her know I didn't wreak any havoc on the golden couple."

With a smirk, J'onn replied, "I'm here to make sure you're alright. You know I made your parents a promise before they died… I promised I'd look after their only son. I'd watch over him and make sure he would be nurtured, loved, and safe." Clark turned his head towards him as J'onn gave a small smile, "I see my counterpart never reached out to you… but I am here in this world. And I am only here to make sure you will be alright Kal-El. I am sorry you fate did not live up to the one in this world. But you have a destiny far beyond your reach, and you will have everything you've ever wanted… it will just take some time. Now that you know what you can have… you can find it in your world."

Clark didn't respond as he briefly remained silent, swallowing hard as he turned away, "I don't need anyone to look after me. I've done alright all on my own. Just get me the mirror box and I'll be on my way."

J'onn looked him over and sighed, "You know if you leave… you may never return to this world… and the best way to gain closure and to move on is to say goodbye. I think you owe yourself that."

Clark shook his head, "You know I'm getting real tired with all this pep talk from everyone. Leave before you see who Ultraman really is." He said in a low, menacing growl. J'onn tilted his head, and simply nodded, before he knew it, Clark Luthor was alone once again, as he watched the sun rise over Metropolis.

As he was dwelling on his thoughts... of her, he realized he wasn't alone again. Assuming it was the Martian, Luthor squared his shoulders as he turned around, "I thought I made my threat clear... you here to test me-" He stopped mid sentence when he turned to face the person who had joined him on the roof. He stared back expressionless at his own reflection, wearing a grey t-shirt and blue jeans while Luthor himself was in all black, staring back at his counterpart. Luthor looked him up and down, glaring back at him as he smirked, "Why am I not surprised... I figured you'd find me as soon as you got the chance." He said in a low tone.

Clark Kent stood tall, as he stared back at Luthor, narrowing his eyes at his twin from Earth-2, "We need to talk."

* * *

><p><strong>Yes we've all been waiting for this moment since CK woke up:P<strong>

**Thank you all for the reviews and for being so patient with me! Stay tuned for MORE I'm getting back on track, CH. 47 was real difficult for me to write I got into a short writer's block on how that chapter should connect with this one, updates will come a little faster now you won't have to wait a whole other month:P But since I'm on my summer break I might forget a lot loll but I'll still try my best!**

**TBC!**


	49. Let her Go

**Wow lots of mixed reviews and perspectives on this storyline I like it:)! Thanks again for your inputs!**

**Just note that when CK and CL are talking I'm going to refer to them as Kent and Luthor just to avoid confusion:)**

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><p><strong>Chapter 49: Let Her Go- Passenger<strong>

_**Staring at the ceiling in the dark, same old empty feeling in your heart. 'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast. Well you see her when you fall asleep, but never to touch and never to keep cause you loved her too much and you dived too deep. Only know you love her when you let her go.**_

_**And you let her go.**_

_Watchtower_

"Kara I really don't think there's anything to worry about… he just needs some time alone" Oliver tried to reassure the Kryptonian as she paced around Watchtower.

Kara shook her head, turning to Bruce, "It's been HOURS since you last saw him at the farm. What if he's fallen off the edge and has gone back to his old ways?!"

Bruce sighed as he placed his hands on his waist, "That's highly doubtful Kara he'll be back. All he wants is to get out of here."

"If he wants to get out of here so badly then why doesn't he want to be found" Tess proclaimed as she walked by them towards the surveillance system. While Chloe sat back down on the couch, trying to call Lois but couldn't get an answer. Chloe sighed as she put the phone down.

"He's on top of the Daily Planet" They all turned to see J'onn Jones walk in, "He's in a dark state right now… but give it some time. He's ready to leave."

Kara nodded, "My powers are still bound though"

"Clark can probably help with that" Oliver said with a grin. Kara stared back at him in confusion, "I meant our Clark... Clark Kent." He corrected.

Kara's eyes widened as she let out a deep breath, "That's right... I haven't seen him yet. How is he?" She asked with concern.

Chloe replied, "He's... alive. How else can we answer that." Kara nodded back at her, "Listen Kara..." She said as she walked up to her, "I know we've had our differences on the situation with Clark... and what I did. I just hope you can forgive me for taking you down with me. And making you keep this a secret from everyone."

Kara looked back at Chloe and sighed, "You know under different circumstances I'd be stubborn to trust you again... but after what you've done, and what you were willing to sacrifice for our cousins... I can't do anything but thank you Chloe. You did good." Chloe pressed her lips together and nodded back at her.

Oliver came up behind her and touched her shoulder, "Are you feeling okay by the way?"

Chloe nodded, "I'm fine... I feel normal actually, I don't see any Kryptonian symbols in front of me and haven't lost any part of my memory so that's a good sign."

Oliver didn't' look convinced, "It's just with Kara's powers bound we're at a speed bump. I want Jor-El out of your head as soon as possible..." He turned to J'onn, "Would you be able to activate the Crystal?"

J'onn sighed, "Unfortunately, only a Kryptonian has the power to activate the Fortress... which means only Kara or Clark would be able to do so..."

Chloe blinked when she had an idea, "I can do it..." They all looked at her in confusion, "I have Kryptonian powers... I can super speed with the Crystal and activate it in the Arctic."

Oliver shook his head, "No, it's not safe for you to use those powers, you use them too much it could screw things up in your head"

Rolling her eyes, Chloe replied, "I'd only be using it the one last time Ollie. J'onn could even come back with me and once everything's restored and I'm human again, we'll deal with everything else."

Oliver looked reluctant to say yes, as J'onn stepped in, "Don't worry Oliver, I'll make sure nothing happens to her once it's done. It makes sense what she's saying..."

He let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders as he turned to his wife, "You better come back to me in one piece or I'll never forgive you Sullivan."

Chloe chuckled as she grabbed the back of his neck and pulled him down for a deep kiss, "Don't worry Queen, I don't plan on doing any more crazy things for a while."

Oliver smirked, "See when you say 'for a while', it doesn't comfort me any more than you think it would." She smiled back at him before taking the crystal from Kara as she left Watchtower with J'onn. Oliver stared back at the elevators before Tess' voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

"Uh guys... I think we have a problem" She said while staring up at the computer screen.

Bruce turned to walk towards her, "Define problem..."

Tess grimaced as she zoomed in on the screen, "I'll let you be the judge of that" Bruce, Oliver, Kara, and Emil followed her gaze to the screen as their eyes widened, seeing both Clark Luthor and Clark Kent standing before each other on the Daily Planet rooftop.

Oliver wiped his mouth as he sighed, "Yeah... that's a problem."

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><p><em>Daily Planet Roof<em>

Luthor looked back at Kent, tilting his head in curiosity as he sized his doppelganger up. Kent didn't speak which pissed Luthor off as he grimaced and held out his arms, "You said you wanted to talk. So talk or I'm leaving."

Kent raised his brow at him, "And where are you gonna go? Back to my wife?"

Luthor's face tightened as he took a step towards him, "What did she tell you?"

"Everything..." He replied in a low tone.

Pursing his lips, Luthor twirled the gold ring around his pinkie as he walked around Kent, "So why are you here then?"

Kent swallowed hard as he turned to face him, shaking his head, "I honestly don't know... Lois told me what happened between you two. I gotta say it's hard to accept the fact that she moved on... with you."

Luthor let out a humorless chuckle as he sighed, "So what, you're here to kick my ass for sleeping with your wife?" He smiled inwardly when he saw Kent tense up, feeling a sense of pleasure to make him suffer, "I'd like to see you try..." He wanted to make it sting as much as it could, "She's not worth it." He declared.

Kent huffed, shaking his head, "I'm not here to fight you... I actually came here to see what she ever saw in you. But now that you've said that... It's all clear." He stalked towards him, "You saw her at her most vulnerable and took advantage of her. You decided to have your fun and make her fall for you." He shook his head at Luthor who glared back at him, his whole body shaking with built up rage, "Just because you look like me doesn't make us 're telling me she's not worth it... so it was never real for you was it? My wife and son... did they mean anything to you? Because she says how much you meant to her... and it hurts to hear that. But what hurts more is that you took her for granted. What, did you pretend to act like me and toy with her emotions?"

He went over the edge, as Luthor super sped towards him, slamming Kent up against the brick wall, grabbing his shirt in his hands, when Kent roughly threw Luthor off of him, while Luthor landed on his feet. Turning to face him, Luthor spat out, "I took her for granted?! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!" He huffed as Kent drew his brows together, while Luthor continued, "I would've given her everything... I would've built a life with her. I would've made her happier than you ever could. When I found out about you I was ready to take her away, I was ready to fight for her, hell I even considered just killing you when you came back to life... but that's not what she wanted."

Kent's lips parted, there it was. As much as he wished it wasn't real, what Lois and Clark Luthor had was real... and deep. He couldn't help but wince at how far it could've gone, "If I never came back she would've had a life with you... you had a place in my son's life before I even could. You were there for my wife when I couldn't be and I can't accept that! I can't look at her because when I do, I can't help but wonder who she really wants, me or you!" He exclaimed.

Luthor ran his fingers through his dark hair, turning away from him, swallowing hard as he closed his eyes, "You're seriously feeling insecure of who your wife really loves?" He let out a breathless chuckle, "You know Lois told me she had this shirt of yours she used to sleep with because it smelt like you... that she kept sleeping with it until it smelt more like her than it did you. She wanted to find that memory again... and that's when she used that mirror box, and brought me here to remind her of what she lost." He turned back around to face Kent with his clenched jaw, "Don't you understand? It was always about you from the beginning. She was always yours... and you think you can just throw something like that away cause of a little insecurity? Yeah, it's complicated, this whole situation's fucked up. In those months I spent with her... it changed me. I fell in love with her, but I could tell she couldn't feel the same way I did, no matter how hard she tried. As much as I wished it weren't true, every time she looked at ME, she saw you. She had an ultimatum when she found out about you... and she chose you over me. That's saying something..." Kent blinked as he listened to Luthor, "You're wondering who she really loves? That should be your answer. And you're crazy if you walk away from her" Every bit of his heart shattered as he said those words, letting her go completely, "You left her for TWO years. That's two years she spent alone, and in her most desperate state after two years there was still only one person she wanted to be with. And that was you. You're the one she wants, and you got a second chance at a life with her. So go live it or I'll gladly take it away." Kent didn't know what to say to that. He could see how much Luthor felt for Lois, how much it hurts to reassure him of who she really loves. He saw the heartbreak his counterpart was going through as he fought to keep steel mask on, fighting to keep himself together while letting go of the first woman he's ever loved, seeing the deep envy in Luthor's eyes for what Kent had. Clark Kent realized then and there, Lois and Chris were always his... and Luthor envied that, wanted that, because in a brief moment, he lost it all. Kent couldn't help but look at him with sympathy as Luthor shook his head, "Don't look at me like that." He said through his teeth.

With a sigh, Kent walked towards him, "You know it doesn't have to end this way... I was never gonna give her up to you. I would've fought for her, because she means the world to me. But that doesn't mean you don't have a Lois waiting for you back in Earth-2" Luthor smirked as he shook his head away from his gaze while Kent continued, "I met her you know... when we switched worlds all those years ago... and she reminded me so much of my Lois. Sure when she thought I was you she didn't cut you any slack... one thing I learned was Lois Lane is universally consistent. Regardless of what you've done in the past, I could tell she's open to second chances... it's not the end Luthor. This is my life... she's my life. And believe me when I say I'm sorry that you can't have it."

Luthor let out a humorless chuckle, "How poetic..." He stated sarcastically.

Kent pulled at the corner of his mouth, with a meaningful look in his glistening eyes, "Thank you... for looking after them. And for helping her... she needed you as much as you needed her. And as hard as it is to accept it, I'm also glad she had you to turn to. You took away her pain... thank you."

Clark Luthor turned away from him, swallowing down the lump in his throat, "I didn't do it for you"

Kent took a deep breath and nodded, "I know... they're waiting for you at Watchtower..."

Luthor closed his eyes, and when he opened them, Clark Kent was gone, as he put his hands in his pockets, as he looked up at the sky.

* * *

><p><em>Smallville- Kent Farm<em>

Lois walked out of their room, as she changed into Clark's red plaid shirt, still wearing her jeans as she wrapped her arms around herself. Martha had fallen asleep as she lifted her trembling hand to her forehead, holding in a sob as she walked downstairs to the living room. Sitting herself down on the couch, she looked down at their framed wedding photo she held in her hands. Lois traced the frame with her finger, holding in her tears as she clutched it close to her chest, a single tear falling down her cheek. She felt the couch sink as she opened her eyes, she let out a soft gasp when she saw Clark sitting next to her, placing a hand on her back as he gazed at her softly.

Lois wiped her tears as she put the picture frame down on the coffee table and turned to him as her heart soared, "You came back..." She said in a husky tone with her tears clouding her eyes.

Clark brushed her locks off her shoulder, replying in a soft tone, "Of course I came back... I'll always come back..."

She pressed her lips together as she struggled to speak, "Can you forgive me... All I want is to be with you honey..."

He let out a deep sigh, leaning his elbows on his knees as he didn't speak for a moment, and Lois waited until he spoke, "I know you do Lois... it's just hard to hear that you spent months with someone who looks like me... and basically had a relationship with him." He closed his eyes.

Lois' lips parted as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "Clark... you have to believe me, if I knew then there was any chance that you'd come back to me, I never would've done this. But I thought you were gone forever... and when I activated that mirror box I only wanted to see him for a moment, just a moment to look into his eyes and be reminded of you. I mean if I had the power to use the Legion Ring and see you again I would've gone back in time just to see you... but I had the mirror box, and I didn't think all of this would happen. I didn't think he'd stay this long, I didn't expect what would happen between us later... I just saw him as someone to turn to for comfort, and open up to the things I would with you... and then it all just... happened. I didn't plan for any of this... I only love you Clark."

He swallowed hard as he sat up, and leaned towards her, feeling his breath on her face, "I know. It just... it breaks my heart to know what you've been through... how you felt so alone, and unhappy all this time. As weird as it is to say this... I'm glad Clark Luthor was there for you. I understand everything now... that's all that matters baby. I never want to cause you any pain"

Lois smiled and shook her head, "Don't you worry about me Kent. This moment right here..." She placed her hand on his chest, "The happiness I feel at this very moment far outweighs all the pain I went through these past two years. I'm okay" She said with tears in her eyes, "I love you so much Clark.. and I hope this doesn't change the way you feel about me... I'm still the same girl you fell in love with." She said with a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

Clark simply stared back at her in silence before the corner of his mouth curved up and kissed her, "I'll never stop loving you..." They were locked in a deep kiss for a long moment as Lois held his face in her hands, running her fingers through his hair while Clark held the back of her neck. As he pulled away, Lois opened her eyes, bringing her hand towards his face, tracing his lips.

"Can you forgive me Clark?" She asked with anxiety creeping in her chest, she needed to hear in from him, she needed to know she wasn't going to lose him, not knowing whether her heart could take it if she did.

He stared back at her for a long moment, cupping her face, "Of course..." He whispered. Lois let out a deep breath of relief as she wrapped her arms around him, letting her tears fall as he held her tightly.

"Thank you... Thank you so much..." She choked out as he whispered loving words in her ears. As she pulled away, she stroked his cheek, "Where did you go?" She asked.

"I went to see him..." He whispered. Lois' head jerked back as she looked up at him in shock, "You did quite the number on him Lois... and you were right about everything... you both needed each other. When I doubted you... he cleared all those doubts, and helped me realize that everything you did... was because of me. As selfish as it is to say this... I'm happy I have you, and get to live the rest of my life with you again... even though it comes at his cost."

Lois swallowed hard as her brows twitched, "Clark Luthor told you that?"

Clark nodded as he took her hands in his, "After hearing him out, he made me realize how lucky I am... and I realized that there's something I need to do for him now..."

"What's that?"

He let out a deep sigh, outlining her jaw as he cupped her face, "I need to let him say goodbye" Lois didn't need to ask any further as she knew what he meant, leaning in to capture his lips again as he held her closer to his chest.

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><p><strong>TBC...<strong>

**I know there's gonna be A LOT more mixed feelings about this chapter and I'm gonna read them all and then write in a little explanation as to why I wrote it this way the next time I update;) **

**The floors is yours my fellow readers thank you so much I'll see you soon with another chapter!**

**P.S. I'm so nervous and excited BECAUSE I finished writing the final chapter last night and now they're all going through the editing process I'm so anxious to post the rest and I REALLY REALLY hope I don't disappoint you all! We're almost done the journey it's the beginning of the end :O :'( !**


	50. Bittersweet Life

**Chapter 50: Bittersweet Life- My Favorite Highway**

_**Maybe it's time to let go, but I'm too scared and so unprepared. How do I forget every moment in time that we shared? It's a bittersweet life, and it's leaving me a-ok. It's a bittersweet life, I have loved and lost my heart along the way. **_

_Watchtower_

Bruce stared up at the screen with a brow raised when both Kent and Luthor left the Daily Planet roof, "That was... intense."

Oliver smirked, crossing his arms, "It was gonna happen at some point... they were bound to confront each other... they're in love with the same woman."

"Well at least they used their words and it didn't escalate into something out of control" Tess stated.

"Yeah... that would've been messy" Oliver replied, "I just hope they can move past what's happened..."

Kara raised her brow at him, "You think he and Lois are gonna be alright?"

Tess pressed her lips together, "I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't get over it for now... I don't wanna sound cynical but Lois has a lot to make up for."

Kara scoffed, "Come on Tess... she lived her life without him for two years and she couldn't move on. I mean it's not like she cheated on him technically she thought he was... you know... dead." She whispered the last part, not liking that word one bit.

Tess sighed, "I know that, but it's still a shock to wake up after a two year coma to find out your wife's been playing house with your evil, corrupted doppelganger."

Oliver sighed at her, "It wasn't like that" He retorted.

With a scoff, Tess turned to him, crossing her arms, "Then what was it like? Please enlighten me"

"Tess" Chloe warned, "Be a little sensitive would you? Lois didn't mean for it to end up this way, she was in a desperate state, and was still grieving at the time. We're living in a supernatural world where anything's possible. She saw an opportunity to see some physical form of Clark again and she took it. I'm sure our Clark understands this, he loves her... and regardless of everything, he knows her more than anyone, and knows she would never intentionally hurt him like that. There'd be no point in holding a grudge against her. They can't move forward if he holds this over her head, he loves her and so he'll forgive her" She sighed as they all stayed silent.

Bruce cleared his throat, "Look whatever happens happens. They'll get through this, it's Clark and Lois, they always do... what matters now is getting Luthor back to his world and restore the balance."

Oliver nodded, "Problem is that he's off the grid... all we can do is wait, we can't exactly force him to come to Watchtower." They all nodded as they waited, taking turns patrolling and informing the rest of the League members around the world of the news, that Clark Kent is alive.

After about an hour, Clark and Lois entered Watchtower together, as Kara's watched in shock, "Kal-El!" She ran to him and gave him a big hug, "It's so good to see you cousin... I've missed you so much..."

Clark smiled as he hugged her back, "I missed you too Kara... it's been too long hasn't it..."

Kara pulled away with a grin on her face, "You have no idea... it's good to have family back" She said with glossy eyes.

Clark nodded and talked with everyone, catching up on everything going on in their lives. Bruce stared back at his good friend and cleared his throat as he approached him, "Clark... do you have a minute? There's something I want to tell you."

Clark drew his brows together, but nodded as he followed Bruce to another room, with Lois looking after them in curiosity. Once they were alone, Bruce took a deep breath and faced him as Clark asked, "What is it Bruce?"

He drew in a deep breath before speaking, "Okay, well there's no other way to say this other than in honesty... Clark, ever since you... died?" Clark nodded with a small smile, "Things have changed around here. I felt I owed it to you to take care of your family. I looked after Lois and Chris, and got really close with them, I spent a lot of time with them... and I saw them as my own family, and it's been hard to accept that they were never really mine. Over those years... I started having feelings for Lois." Clark listened intently as Bruce noticed a crease in his forehead, he cleared his throat as he continued, "I know you've been hearing that a lot. When I told her... she obviously told me she didn't feel the same way but loved me as a friend. I knew that before even telling her. But that wasn't the problem, the problem was the guilt that I felt for having these feelings for her. I mean I consider you to be my good friend, and my intention was to only be there for your family, and to look after them. I knew it wouldn't be enough but I did my best, and I ended up getting more than what I bargained for. I guess being around Lois made me realize what I really wanted. That I didn't want to be alone anymore, I want what you have... I want a family, I want to be with someone who I can build a life with without always carrying the Bat over my shoulders, to be with someone to carry it with me." Bruce swallowed hard, "That's why... I'm going back to Gotham, and be with the woman who I let get away from me years ago. She waiting for me, waiting to start the life I've always wanted but was scared to go and live it." Bruce looked down, before continuing with a deep breath, "I've decided to hang my cape... there's this boy" He chuckled to himself, "He's a bit of a reckless nuisance since I've met him, but there's something in him that is indebted to protected my city, and fighting against injustice... I think you could show him the ropes to what it truly means to be a hero, and to be a part of a team."

Clark blinked as he tilted his head, "Bruce what are you saying?"

He sighed as he smiled up at his friend, "I'm saying... I'm done being Batman. I'm gonna tie up loose ends and leave Gotham forever... with her."

Clark's lips parted at what Bruce was saying, letting it all sink in, "I... I know you've gone through a lot, and sacrificed everything in order to become who you are, to be Batman. I just want you to be sure of this decision, think of what you're giving up here."

He nodded, "I'm sure. I thought about it a lot... and this is what needs to be done." He noticed Clark deep in thought, and speechless as he patted his shoulder, "That doesn't mean we'll never see each other again. We'll be in touch." He said while pulling at the corner of his mouth.

Clark smiled back at him, "Well, I hope you finally get everything you wanted... I hope she makes you happy. Whoever she is..."

Bruce nodded back at him, "I hope so too"

"You're leaving?" They turned to see Lois at the door, looking taken aback at what she overheard.

"Lois..." Bruce began.

Clark began to step away, "I should leave you two alone-"

"No Clark it's okay" Bruce reassured, turning to Lois, "I thought it's the best thing to do... and I'm not good with goodbyes"

Lois shook her head with exasperation, "So you were planning on leaving without telling me? Hoping I wouldn't notice?!"

Bruce licked his lips, "It's not like that"

"Then what's it like?!" She exclaimed, "Bruce... are you leaving because of me?" She asked with her voice cracking.

Bruce shook his head, "No Lois, it's not because of you... I'm doing this for me. I need to live my own life... and to do that I need to leave behind my alter ego. I don't belong in Metropolis... trust me I'm fine with this decision, I want to do this. I want to be with the person I love, for once I'd like to know what it feels like to be selfish."

Her lips parted as she walked towards him, breathing heavily, "Will I ever see you again?"

The corner of his mouth curved up, "Of course... I'll be around here and there... just not as much."

Lois was deep in thought when she reached to hold his arm, "Bruce... I don't know what I'm gonna do without you. You're my best friend. You've been there for me for so much..."

He wrapped his arms around her and enveloped her in a tight hug, "I'll still be here Lois. But you have your family back, you have Clark, and he was your best friend long before I was... you'll be fine."

She chuckled under her breath, "Good to know you're not broken up about this" She replied sarcastically with a hint of deep sadness in her voice.

He smiled back at her, "Trust me... this isn't easy for me to do"

Lois swallowed down the lump in her throat as she looked up at him, "You're giving up a big part of yourself... I hope she makes it all worth it Bruce... or I'll just have to claw little Miss Kyle's face myself"

Bruce jerked his head back in surprise, "How did you-"

Rolling her eyes, Lois replied, "Oh please I can read you like a book. I know you've always been hung up on her, I've just been waiting for you to realize it" Bruce let out a laugh as he shook his head at her. Lois pulled him back for a hug, "Thank you again... for everything Bruce. I'm gonna miss you so much."

Bruce hugged her back, "I'll miss you too Lois..."

As they pulled away, Bruce turned to Clark as they shook hands, and Clark chuckled, pulling him in for a hug, "Thank you for looking after my family... don't be a stranger Bruce." Bruce nodded back at him, as they were about to leave, Clark asked, "Are you gonna tell the rest of the League?"

Pursing his lips, Bruce replied, "I'm not good with goodbyes... it's better this way. Please don't say anything" Both Clark and Lois nodded in understanding, both entwining their hands together, as Bruce left the room.

Clark stared down at Lois, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear, "So you've got yourself _two_ men who've fallen for you since I've been gone Lois" He smiled back at her, "Is there anything else I need to know?" He asked softly.

Lois swallowed hard as she shook her head, "No more... that's it."

He raised a brow at her, "So there's no more surprises?"

The corner of her mouth twitched upwards as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "Life with us will always be full of surprises..."

He kissed her forehead, "Very true" They smiled back at each other, before Clark pulled at her hand and joined the rest in the main room.

They came back to see Chloe and J'onn, Chloe grinned back at the two and held up her hands, "I'm officially Kryptonian free and Clark your Fortress of Solitude is fully restored."

Lois walked up to her cousin and wrapped her arm around her shoulders, "Good to have my normal human cousin back" They chuckled together as they all looked around.

Oliver sighed, placing his hands on his hips, "Would you look at that, the gang's all back together again... we lost our way there for a while... I hope things get better from here, and we remain as a team for the long haul." They all nodded, as Clark eyed Bruce, who wouldn't meet his eyes.

Tess pursed her lips, "This calls for a celebration... after we get Luthor back to Earth-2"

Emil cleared his throat, "If he ever comes back..."

"That reminds me... Kal-El" Kara approached him, holding up her hand, "If you don't mind..." He looked down in confusion to see the blue Kryptonite ring on her finger, watching her shrug and wave her hand at him, "It's a long story..."

Clark sighed, "Yeah I've been getting a lot of that since I came back from the dead..." Without hesitation, Clark effortlessly took the ring off her finger, as Kara wriggled her fingers and let out a deep breath, "Better?"

"Much" She grinned, "I guess I should go out and look for him then..."

"He'll come when he's ready..." Clark replied.

"And when do you think that is?" Tess asked impatiently.

"Now" They turned to see Clark Luthor standing at the elevator doors, "You need to pay attention to your security around here Lutessa, you're getting sloppy." Tess clenched her jaw at him as he walked towards her, "Let's get this over with."

Tess smirked back at him, "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time."

Luther sized her up, making her feel uncomfortable under his gaze, "Well you got your wish cupcake." He waited as no one made a move, "Is anyone gonna get me that mirror box? I thought this was what you all wanted, what's the holdup."

"We figured there'd be some sort of last hurrah you wanted to do, maybe say a couple goodbyes before you leave?" Oliver inquired, "I mean you're never gonna see us again..." Luthor kept looking straight ahead, feeling Lois' gaze on him, but chose to ignore it.

Taking a deep breath, he replied, "This isn't my world, I don't have anyone to say bye too, I've said what I had to say, let's just get this over with..." He mumbled. Kara raised her brow at him and walked up to him, pursing her lips at him, Clark Luthor rolled his eyes, "If you're expecting an apology-"

"That's not what I want." She said softly, "I know you're scared to go back and face that loneliness again. You've gotten close with some of us... and you don't deserve to have that taken away. It sucks, but Clark, I promise you it'll get better. This is a glimpse of what you can accomplish in your world." Kara gestured around to the League, she reached out to touch his arm, "Listen, when your parents put you in that spaceship, my father put me in one too, I was supposed to come to Earth to look after you, to be there for you as family, but I got trapped under water in Reeves dam, in the Smallville Reservoir." She swallowed hard, "I've probably been in suspended animation all these years, so get me out of there would ya?" She explained with a sheepish smile, "You're gonna want to be around family when you get back, and my doppelganger will be there." Clark gave her a weak smile and nodded, he felt her squeeze his shoulder as her gaze softened, "Goodbye Clark... it was nice getting to know you, and I hope you go back with a clear conscience... and with a better outlook on life."

With that, she stepped away, he turned to Bruce and they didn't make any gesture to one another, Bruce simply nodded at him. They all waited in silence as Luthor opened his mouth and hesitated before speaking, looking around Watchtower, then turned to Oliver and Tess, "You know... the first time I was here all those years ago... I tried killing you, and almost destroyed this place." He swallowed hard, looking away, "I'm sorry I almost took this away from you... and I attacked you guys like that. I was in a dark state then... I just... sorry." He mumbled.

Tess and Oliver turned to gaze at each other, exploiting their surprised looks, as Tess looked taken aback, not knowing what to say, while Oliver simply nodded, "Thank you. That means a lot."

Clark Kent finally approached him, holding out his hand, Luthor looked down to see the silver mirror box in his hand. Luthor carefully took it without making eye contact, "Once you activate this, you'll be back in Earth-2, after which you should destroy the mirror box. She'll be waiting for you... don't let her down." He said in a low tone so that only Luthor would hear. Luthor didn't reply as Kent stepped back.

Luthor looked down at the pentagonal prism in his hand, seeing the reflection of his eyes in the mirror, swallowing hard he gripped it with both of his hands.

"Clark" He stopped when he heard her voice, hearing her breathing, her beautiful, sweet, rhythm thrumming in her chest. Her heartbeat, that sound that would be forever embedded in his head. He tried fighting it, tried fighting against himself, willing himself not to look up, but all his resolve disappeared when he lifted his head, and his blue eyes met her hazel ones, and his heart plummeted in his chest as she looked straight to his soul, that gaze that would be embedded in his head forever. Slowly shutting his eyes, feeling the hard metal in his hands, gripped it tighter and turned it, feeling the glow emanating from the box wrap around him like a blanket, the light was too blinding as Lois took a sharp intake of breath, covered her eyes at the intensifying bright light, and it was gone. She brought her hand out of her face, and looked back at the place where he stood. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't feel... she felt numb at seeing the empty space where he used to stand. He was gone... just like that.

Lois breathed slowly, staring back at nothing, when she felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up at her husband, who had a meaningful look in his eyes, asking her if she was alright with just that look. With a shaky breath, she covered his hand with hers, as he saw her glossy eyes, as she mutely nodded back at him, and felt him squeeze her hand.

Chloe stared back at everyone, as they all remained silent, unable to speak over what had just occurred, she hesitated before speaking in a strained voice, "So I guess that's it..." Everyone remained still, as they let it sink in, and finally felt the impact of Clark Luthor's absence in their lives, unable to comprehend why they were feeling the way they were, even Tess.

* * *

><p><strong>TBC.<strong>


	51. Bleeding Love

**Chapter 51: Bleeding Love- Leona Lewis**

_**Closed off from love, I didn't need the pain. Once or twice was enough, and it was all in vain. Time starts to pass. Before you know it you're frozen. But something happened for the very first time with you. My heart melted into the ground, found something true, and everyone's looking round thinking I'm going crazy. But I don't care what they say. I'm in love with you, They try to pull me away, but they don't know the truth. My hearts crippled by the vein that I keep on closing. You cut me open and I keep bleeding. But nothing's greater than the rush that comes from your embrace, and in this world of loneliness, I see your face. **_

_Earth-2: Metropolis_

He stared back up at the dark, gloomy sky. He could smell the pollution in the air, and hear the angry bustling of civilians in his city. There he was, lying on his back on the wet pavement in the middle of the road, feeling the misty rain fall on his face. The people around him began to slow down their pace as they took a double take on the man lying on the street, noticing his presence for the first time. He could hear them mumbling to one another, _"Is that Clark Luthor?!... Hasn't he been missing for weeks now... I thought he went on a fender bender after taking Queen Industries... Didn't that guy die?... I hear he's gone completely out of control... drugs you say?... well this is going to be a story the Inquisitor is gonna wanna get on!"_

He continued to lie there, motionless, staring up at the dark sky, not caring that everyone stopped to stare down at him. He was back... he's in Earth-2... his world... a world without her. There was a deep ache in his chest as he felt a part of himself die, knowing he'll never see Chris again. It wasn't long before he was blinded by the flashing lights of paparazzi. Of course, everyone would notice when he came back, when back in Earth-1, no one knew him as the notorious Clark Luthor, it didn't matter who he was... the only person who ever knew his true self was... he couldn't think of her name. It all hurt too much. And it all hurt just the same. Swallowing hard, Clark Luthor picked himself off the ground, his damp hair covering his eyes, pushing people roughly aside as they bombarded him with questions, "Mr Luthor?! Care to make a comment on where you've been these past months?! Sir what are your plans for Luthorcorp, your sister has declared you missing, and presumed dead! Luthor where have you been?!"

He ignored all the voices invading his head as he pushed everyone in his way aside and continued walking to a dark alley way, speeding off into the night, while they all searched for him, thirsty for an inside scoop of the disappearance of Clark Luthor.

He didn't go far, down to Suicide slums, as he passed the homeless looking to shelter themselves from the rain. Leaning against a brick wall, he stared down at the mirror box he gripped in his hand. His body trembled as he threw it on the ground and crushed it under his foot, shattering it to pieces, destroying the one object that linked them together.

Lowering himself down on the dirty ground, as the rain poured down on him, he drowned in his emotionless state. He felt empty, and numb inside. He couldn't feel anything, not sadness, not anger, not remorse, nothing. She was gone... he was never going to see her again and he couldn't let himself feel that. He sat there for a while until he heard footsteps approaching him. Clark turned his head to see a man gingerly approach him from the shadows, "Well well, if it isn't Clark Luthor. I haven't seen you around here... what are you lost or something pal?" The man was wearing a black hoody and ripped jeans, Clark could smell the stench of cigarette and alcohol on the man mixed with the rain. He was a low life, and just asking for trouble with the knife in his hand that Clark could hear the rain drop against the silver metal blade.

Clark turned away from him, clenching his jaw, "Or something..." He saw it from the corner of his eyes, watching the man lunge for him, and out of reflex, in the blink of an eye, Clark stood and had him against the brick wall, with his hand around his throat, hearing the man's sharp intake of breath as he dropped the knife to the ground.

"Holy shit! How did you-"

"Don't move" Clark growled, his nostrils flaring as his breathing became heavy.

"I-I don't want any trouble..." The man stuttered. Clark's body trembled with all the emotions stirring inside of him as the man pleaded, "I'm sorry... please let me go... it won't happen again I swear!"

Clark swallowed hard, "You've seen my face..." He spoke in a low tone, and saw the fear in the man's eyes, "I have a secret... I have a big one that I never said out loud." He paused for a moment, shaking his head mostly to himself, "I mean what's the point?! It's not gonna change anything it's not gonna make me good!" He tried to keep the tears in his eyes as he choked back, trying to push down all the emotions aching to explode, and this man trying to attack him was just urging to push him over the edge, he had to fight it, "I can't be... what other people want me to be. What _she_ wants me to be." It was boiling inside of him, "This is who I am..."

The man trembled in fear against his grasp, "Are you gonna kill me?" He asked quietly.

Clark glared at the fear he was staring back at, "I'm not sure... do I kill you... or do I not kill you?" He taunted.

The unknown man's stomach did somersaults as he pleaded, holding his hands up, "Please don't!"

"But I have to... because I'm not human... and without her... there's no point in trying to be human. I miss her... I miss her more than anything in the world!" He spoke through clenched teeth, "I wish I had his life... I wish I was him, I wish I was... good like him, and good enough for her. That's my secret..." He said quietly, "Why should I be anything different... when I can't have her to be that person for..." His voice cracked as he fought down the emotions ready to explode, "If I kill you... everything will be the way it should be... you won't be missed" With that, Clark's eyes glowed red as he was about to burn the man alive, as he let out a scream, shutting his eyes, he felt no pain, he dared to open one eye to see Clark looking down at the ground, the man followed his gaze to see a picture lying in the mud. Clark stared down at the picture of Lois and Chris he forgot he had in his pocket, that fell out just as he was about to kill this man. He kept looking down at the picture, letting out a deep breath when his grip loosened on the man, as he threw him on the ground. The man struggled to get up as he hastened to crawl away from Clark, who was still looking down at the picture. Clark was breathing heavily, his shoulders heaving as he spoke in a menacing growl, "Get out of here." Without a second thought, the unknown man got to his feet and ran out of the alleyway as fast as he could, leaving his knife behind.

Luthor slowly bent down to pick up the picture, seeing her glowing smile and her son's gleaming face... seeing the family he could've had. Letting the tears fall down his cheek, Clark let out a sob as he brought the picture to his lips, for the first time in a long time, cried. After a long moment, he stood up, and sped out of Suicide Slums, stepping into his mansion for the first time since he left.

As he walked through the corridors he heard heels hitting against the floor and a murmuring, "I don't know I haven't heard anything! When did this happen? Are you sure it was him?!" He heard Tess' voice, who was clearly speaking on the phone, she gasped when she turned at the corner and stood before him, with her mouth agape, "I gotta go... he's here" With that, she shut her phone when she stared back at him wide eyed, and ran towards him, "Thank god you're okay!" She breathed out, "Where the hell have you been?! You disappeared for MONTHS!" She exclaimed.

Clark showed no emotion as he simply walked past her, "Out"

She raised her brows as she turned to follow him, "Out?! That's the excuse you're gonna make?! Clark I've had search parties scouring around the globe for you!"

"Well then money well spent Tess as you may know I tend to out run search parties." He continued walking, dripping wet from the rain, he stopped when she roughly grabbed his arm, glaring up at him.

"Ever since you disappeared I've been trying to keep the company in tact! You JUST merged two multibillion dollar corporations together and you just bailed! Do you understand the shit I went through!"

Clark pulled his arm away from her, "No but you'll gladly tell me won't you. Don't worry Tess now that I'm back you won't have to put up with any more of this"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's that supposed to mean?"

He simply shrugged, "That's for me to know and for you to find out..."

She placed her hands on her hips, "Well that's gonna be hard considering the fact that I've been voted to be the new official chairman since your disappearance. You've been deemed incompetent and uncommitted... so whatever you have planned you better get me on board too, because I'm not going anywhere." She spoke defiantly.

Clark shook his head with a dark chuckle, "Oh Tess, it's cute that you think you can overpower me... step down from your position at Luthorcorp and get out of here. Go back to New York where you belong... I don't need you." He simply brushed her off.

Tess raised her brow and slowly walked up to him, "And what if I don't leave?" She said in a dark tone.

He was tired of having the same fights with her. He was tired of it all, he couldn't handle anything from his old life anymore. He doesn't want it anymore. With a sigh, he simply shook his head, swallowing hard, "I'm not giving you a choice. Just leave Tess, Luthorcorp is mine."

Tess' eyes widened at him, "And you really think you can just waltz back in here like nothing, and take control of everything?! Don't you forget I'm the one who's been covering your Ultraman ass and everything business related since you ran off for MONTHS. What, are you gonna send your only family away for nothing Clark?!" She exclaimed.

Clark walked away from her, speaking in a dull tone, "We're not family. I never needed you Tess... And I never want to see you here again. Take your fathers trust fund and get the hell out."

"Or else what?!" She screamed, not backing down from a challenge.

Clark didn't say a word as he simply looked up at her, his gaze darkened to which Tess had to turn away from. His face tightened when he heard her heart race. She was afraid of him... she always had been. The Tess from Earth-1 was never phased by him. Sure he could sense the fear in her, but she fought back, she never showed her vulnerabilities and neither did this Tess. She never showed how afraid she was of him, but the truth was that she was just as afraid of him. She stuck by his side with fear that he'll turn on her at any minute and kill her. Is that how his life had always been? Was that how everyone saw him in Earth-2? Was everyone really afraid of him because he'd end their life? He knew this already... so why does it not feel right anymore?

Is that what he wanted out of this life. In Earth-1 no one seemed afraid of him, he lost his control of people back there and... he didn't mind it. It felt good to not be treated like a monster, to not be looked at and feared at like... like Lionel. His lips parted as he saw Tess' fragile form for the first time. How he had abused her in many ways over the years, and how she's become immune, cruel and emotionless because of it... because of what this family has done to her. Her life would've been so different if she had never been raised by the Luthors, she was trapped. Even with Lionel gone she was trapped by... him. She was afraid he would turn against her if she turned her back on him, and put her guard down. Standing up straight, Clark Luthor stared back at his step sister for a long time, and realized he had never once seen her smile... not since she was sixteen years old. She had grown up to be this bitter, lonely, cruel woman because of Lionel, because he was the 'special' child, and that's how Lex had seen him. She hadn't helped Lex in killing him because she was afraid, she hesitated. She kept Lex's death a secret because she was afraid he'd kill her, she spent her entire life in fear of death one day from the brother she had grown up with. She had never been in a long term relationship with another man because of her fear in feeling something... good about her life, and so she thought it'd be easy to form a sexual relationship with Clark Luthor because she was used to being treated badly, and was scared to feel any other way, and Clark took advantage of her weakness for years.

Swallowing hard, Clark turned away in shame at the part he played in Tess' life. He finally spoke without looking back at her, "Why do you even want to stay Tess?" She looked up at his change of tone and stood confused at his question, "I know you don't want to be here. We've made each other's lives a living hell for such a long time, it's time to part ways. And if you're scared I'll come after you because of boredom or some sort of vendetta, I'll assure you that'll never happen. You're free Tess. Go live your life and do whatever you please, go be happy. You don't have to be afraid anymore. We spent our lives doing what Luthor's do best and that's something none of us want. I know you want out of this. We're the only ones left in this family and to be honest we've never been family to each other, we just use each other to get what we want from the other. Leave Tess, leave for your own good. You should go and finally... live. I'll never invade your life again, that's a promise." He took a deep breath as he twirled his gold ring around his pinkie, feeling it loosen it's grip around him as he pulled it off, clutching it in his hand, "Be free."

Tess stared back at him in confusion, taken aback at what he had said. She opened her mouth, hesitating to speak but she couldn't find any words to say to him. She had nothing to say to that. Standing a little straighter, she walked away, without turning back, as Clark slowly sat down at his desk, and crushed Lionel's gold ring in his hand, turning it into nothing but dust.

* * *

><p><em>Earth-2: Bank of Metropolis<em>

Oliver wiped his eyes, he hadn't slept in days as he was finally called in to speak with his financial advisor, as he sat down, wearing a simple brown sweater and jeans, his advisor straightened out his tie as he began, "Look Oliver, I know it's been a difficult few months for you, but seeing this economy, I don't know how I can help you right now. After the buyout from Luthorcorp on Ms. Lane's half, there is no possible way to get your company back unless you and Clark Luthor manage to make some serious negotiations." He spoke with pity at his client, turning to his computer, "I mean your bank balance is..." His voice trailed off as he continued to look at his computer, he drew his brows together in utter confusion.

Oliver leaned forward, anticipating an answer, "What is it?" He asked anxiously.

His advisor shook his head, turning the screen to face Oliver, who had gone pale when he saw the numbers, "Looks like someone VERY generous anonymously wired money into your account... it's actually the same calculated amount that Queen Industries itself is worth today after the merger..."He said in disbelief.

Oliver's mouth opened as he hesitated to speak, "H-How... I mean who... how is this possible?" He breathed out.

The financial advisor tried to make a call and informed Oliver, "Whoever did this wishes to remain anonymous..." Oliver blinked back in surprise as he left the bank in confusion, not knowing what to make of this.

As he got up to his loft, he tried making calls to his bankers in Star City and find out money has been transferred there as well. There was a knock at his door, as he curiously opened it to see a postman at the door with a large manila envelope, asking Oliver to sign it for him. Oliver cautiously signed it, and ripped open the envelope as the postman left. In there were infinite amounts of paperwork and documents, requesting a buyout of Queen Industries. In there was a letter:

_It's no fun when we're not in the same playing field. _

_Sign the papers and it's is all yours again._

_No strings attached._

_-CL_

Oliver stood agape, looking through all the paperwork, contracts, everything that needed his signature to get his company back. He couldn't help but smile inwardly in disbelief to himself at the papers in his hand, looking up at the ceiling as he chuckled to himself. He went over to get his phone as he dialed a number, waiting for an answer he finally spoke, "Dinah... it's me. I'm coming home... and I have good news." He smiled as he replied, "I love you." As he put down the phone as had a distant look, shaking his head, "Where the hell did you go Luthor..." He whispered, before going into his room to pack his things, and leave for Star City.

* * *

><p><em>Earth-2: Daily Planet<em>

_Two weeks later_

Lois Lane silently picked up the remains of her things in her office and stacked them away in a box. With a deep sigh, she walked towards a wall where she stared back at her framed certificates and pictures of meeting some important people around the world during her years in the office. Feeling nostalgic and a sense of sadness she reached up and took her Pulitzer plaque off the wall, staring down at it.

She didn't hear the footsteps approaching her door, as Clark Luthor stood, wearing a dark grey Armani suit, with his hands in her pockets. He felt a flutter in his chest when he saw the familiar figure. He remained silent as he stared back at her, clutching the picture that was in his pocket. He had spent days cooped up in the mansion, sending all the guards, security and servants away, leaving him alone, isolating himself from the world he loathed to be in. A world without her, a world where she doesn't love him. He couldn't live in that... but what choice did he have?

They all told him to give her a chance, to give his heart a chance, and she'd give him a chance. That she could be the best thing that could happen to him. That she was his soul mate, she was the one he needed... but what if they were wrong? All he could think about was Lois... from Earth-1. What if this one... what if she'll never give him a chance. What if she was different? He didn't know her enough to give his heart a chance. So instead, he kept his mind occupied with other things, such as finding the Kryptonian artifacts Lionel had hidden from him.

He had also gone to Reeves Dam in Smallville... and searched for Kara's spaceship, but it was gone, there was no spaceship. That only meant one thing, his cousin was out there in the world somewhere, and he has yet to find her. Clark had yet one thing to deal with, one more chapter to open in his life... a clean slate with Lois. As he was occupied with his thoughts, Lois turned around and gasped in shock as his quiet presence had scared her, "GEEZE! Give a girl a warning before you start lurking Luthor!" She breathed out while clutching her chest.

Clark didn't answer at first, as he tilted his head at her. His lips parted as his breath got caught in his throat when she turned around, and he saw her face again. He thought he'd never see those beautiful hazel eyes again, or her long dark wavy hair, her incredible smile, or hear her voice again. He tuned his hearing to the beating of her chest. It had been over two weeks since he came back to Earth-2... and over two weeks since he's seen her face. Lois. It felt like forever. Only it wasn't her. Not really at least... was it? How could two people from two different worlds look exactly alike... she looked just like her... her doppelganger. Clark couldn't stop staring at her, wondering what kind of woman she was... was she really the one for him? How could she be... how could he do that to her when all he could think about was Earth-1 Lois? Could this Lois really win him over, and make him forget about the other one? Is it possible to feel MORE for this Lois? When he didn't answer for the longest time, Lois cleared her throat at the uncomfortable silence, keeping herself busy as she put her stuff in a box, and he noticed for the first time that she was clearing out her office, "Are you going somewhere?" He managed to say after much hesitation to speak.

Lois looked up at him in confusion, hearing no sarcasm in his tone, or sense of dark humour, it was pure curiosity. She furrowed her brows as she continued packing her things, "I guess your memory's been on a fritz since your disappearance, but you fired me remember." Clark blinked, "I took advantage of your disappearing act, but I figured I'd get out of your hair before you fire me the good old Luthor fashion way, by humiliating me in front of my peers." He didn't fail to notice her passive aggressive tone, "I'll be gone by the end of the day, but you haven't seen the last of me" She narrowed her eyes back at him.

He couldn't help the corner of his mouth that curved up a tiny bit at her defiance, and confidence, that being fired hasn't burnt out her fire. He stared back at her intently, and in amazement, "I don't intend to"

Lois raised her brow and place a hand on her hip, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Clark kept a straight, emotionless face, "It means you're not fired..." Lois blinked as her lips parted, "You can unpack your things now" His eyes directed to the box on her desk.

She didn't know how to react to that, cautiously asking, "I don't understand..."

He walked into her office, his heart thumping louder in his chest as he got closer to her, "We got off on the wrong foot, you and me... and I just... I want to apologize for the way I've treated you... and for using you the way I did."

The crease in her forehead appeared as she crossed her arms, "Oliver has his company back... did you have anything to do with that?"

Clark gaze down at her, and spoke softly, "What do you think?"

Her eyes fluttered at his tone as she swallowed hard, taking a step away from him, "I'd be surprised if it was, since you spent most of your time trying to make his life miserable" She scolded.

Clark sighed, "I didn't mean to put you in the middle that... I saw how your marriage crumbled and took advantage of it. Off the record..." His voice trailed off as he noticed a blue crystal bird sitting on her desk. He recognized that bird in Earth-1, sitting on her window... both Lois' had it. Old Blue. That's what she called it. Looking back at her, he swallowed hard, "I would've never done what he did to you..." She blinked back at that, "I guess part of me wanted to get back at him for you. Maybe part of me was jealous he got the girl..." Now he began rambling things he never expected to say... but couldn't help himself.

Her head jerked up at him in surprise, "What?!" She couldn't help the astonished laugh that escaped her lips, "Listen Luthor I don't know what you're trying to pull, but you and me... never gonna happen." She took a few steps away from him.

Clark tilted his head at her quick retort. Of course he didn't think before the words spilt out of his mouth, "Why not?" He didn't know why he said that, as he clenched his jaw, waiting for her answer.

She scoffed at that, "Why not? Because!" He waited and she saw those puppy dog eyes of his, and she was left speechless, shaking her head she spoke, "Everything's complicated with you"

He smirked at her, "That's why we make such a good fit you like complicated" She stood taken aback at his boldness, he'd never said things like that her before, quite frankly he never had anything descent to say to her in the few times they've had encounters. So what was this change? He simply smiled back at her, but it wasn't the mischievous smile she was so used to. It was warm, and genuine.

She stared back at him for a long time, and Clark couldn't help but look away from those familiar hazel eyes piercing his soul, trying to read him. Lois didn't buy this behaviour as genuine, she couldn't, "Where did you go?" He looked up at her in question and she clarified, "When you disappeared all these months... where did you disappear to?" Her voice full of curiosity and wonderment.

He couldn't answer her, didn't know what to say, couldn't tell her the truth, no matter how hard it was, he contemplated with himself before replying, "I don't know..." She blinked back at that, "But I'm home now... and I want to make things right." He took a step towards her as she kept a stern face, "Look I know I've been a dick... but I want you to know that..." Clearing his throat, he started again, "I hope you can give me the benefit of the doubt. I'm not that kind of person anymore."

She tilted her head at him, raising her brow in a challenging manner as she crossed her arms, "Then what kind of person are you?"

He bore his azure eyes into hers as she didn't back down, "If you stick around you might just find out..."

She sized him up before answering, "I don't think I plan on sticking around Luthor. You enjoy toying with people, playing your cruel games for your selfish reasons and I don't plan on becoming a pawn just cause you're bored from your little trip to god knows where." She turned away from him, tucking her hair behind her ear. She didn't notice when Clark Luthor slightly leaned forward, closing his eyes as he breathed in her scent... it was completely different, nothing like the other one's scent... he smelt... wild cherries. It was a different kind... it smelt good. He breathed her in before opening his eyes to see her walk away from him.

"This isn't a game Lois... it'll never be a game with you." He said under his breath.

She looked up at him, concentrating her gaze on his face, trying to find a crack, but only saw ... hurt, there was something he was holding in, and she could see that vulnerability in the always cool and composed Clark Luthor. She slightly shook her head, brushing off what she thought she saw, "What are you up to?" She said sharply.

He stared back at her and spoke in a stern tone, "I just came by to tell you you're not fired. You get to be a Daily Planet reporter for another day. You're good at what you do and you bring in money to the paper. Keep up the good work. I'll see you around Lois..." He gave her a nod and turned to leave.

Lois sighed as she called out to him, "If I stay..." He stopped in his tracks, "I'm not giving up my research on Ultraman...I'll find the proof I need. You know I will." She warned.

She waited for a response as he turned his head, "You're a handful Lois... I guess that's a challenge I'll have to take on. Who knows, maybe I can get you to change your mind..." With that, he walked out of her office.

Lois huffed as she stared back at his retreating form, "I doubt it..." She couldn't help the small smile that appeared on her lips as she unpacked her name plate on her desk with contentment... and a whole new feeling, a feeling of excitement, and joy at not being fired from her dream job. There was also a flutter in her stomach when he called her 'Lois' for the first time, instead of 'Lane'.

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><p><em>Earth-2: Smallville<em>

Clark Luthor walked up to the abandoned barn, that used to belong to Martha and Jonathan Kent. He decided he would make a pursuit to find them one day, just to see what life would be if they were actually in it. The parents he could've had if Lionel hadn't found him. But for now, this barn was his Fortress of Solitude. He gripped the wooden banister as he walked up the stairs of the loft, looking back at the exact spot he stood in when he had his last conversation with Lois in Earth-1. Everything looked exactly the same in both worlds... only it wasn't. As he walked around, he bent down to lift up the loose floorboard, pulling out a black box, he hesitates for a moment before opening it, to see the octagonal shaped key. Gripping it in his hand, he super speeds to the caves he had found when looking for the Kryptonian artifacts, the Kawatche caves. He had researched the drawings in those caves which itched his curiosity more. He needed to know more. He was ready. It was time.

As he walked deeper into the caves, he found the panel where the key would fit into. He had come to these caves many times, and examined the panel before putting the pieces together, it was a key, to a portal, and it took him a long time to figure out what that portal would lead to, and a long time to accept the steps he would need to take to embrace his destiny, a destiny that has been waiting years for him.

Breathing in deeply, he placed the key in the key holder, and swirls of colors and lights sucked him into a vortex, and within a second later, found himself in middle of the Arctic. He stared up, his eyes glazing over the ice structured architecture before him, and took his first steps into the Fortress, there was no one inside, as he could hear his own breathing, his shoes crunching against the snow with each step he took. Turning to a crystal nearby, he leaned forward, touching it with curiosity. He watched it glow against his touch, and suddenly, all the crystals in the Fortress began to glow simultaneously, Clark stood straight as he looked up, and heard a voice, "Welcome home, my son." With an anxious look on his face, Clark remained silent, taking a deep, shaky breath as his nerves kicked in for the first time. Baby steps.

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><p><strong>TBC:)<strong>

**Only two more to go!**


	52. Holding a Heart

**Chapter 52: Holding a Heart- Toby Lightman**

_**Breathe in, hold it, hold it. Go on, begin to let go, cause there's no reason. I'm turning myself into somebody else. Calm down... I'm holding a heart here in my hand. My own work of art here where I stand. Give in, it's so hard to start. Live in my skin. The bruises are useless against it. I'll try all I can to find a soft place to land. Calm down...**_

_Earth-1_

Moments after Clark Luthor left Earth-1, Clark Kent entwined his hands with Lois as he pulled her away, she followed without a word as he took them out of Watchtower. Lois looked up at Clark who's expression she could not read as he put his arms around her, she closed her eyes when she felt a gush of wind, and opened them to find herself on the Daily Planet rooftop. She looked around, breathing deeply once he let her go, taking a step back, as they simply stared at one another for a long moment in silence. Lois tried to read him, pressing her lips together she took a deep breath, "What are you thinking about?" She asked in a soft tone.

Clark slowly blinked and looked down at the ground, before looking back up, "It's a little intimidating you know..." Lois furrowed her brows at him, "I could see how much you cared about each other. I need to ask..." He paused before continuing, seeing Lois tilt her head at him, "If I never came back... If I had stayed... dead... would you have still moved on with him?" He said, as he deepened his gaze on her, "I just need to know if I didn't come back and mirror box still did, would you have let him go?"

Lois' lips parted as she took a step towards him, searching his eyes, "You know... when Chloe first told me you had disappeared the same moment the mirror box did... it was a wakeup call." She turned away to stare out at the Metropolis skyline, "I think the worst part of it was realizing what I was doing was wrong." She shook her head, "I was desperately trying to hold on to your memory that I couldn't see myself moving on with anyone. So I thought I'd rather be with some sort of version of you then nothing at all. But then Chloe told me what happened and... all the reasons I was telling myself... it didn't make sense anymore. I actually asked myself 'what the hell are you doing?'" She stayed silent for a moment, looking out into the distance, "It was ironic... the second I used that mirror box, you disappeared completely from this world. And I never wanted that." She turned back to him, "I never wanted to diminish what we have to something like this. I... I made a decision then and there. I was cheating destiny, and I was doing this out of selfishness and it wasn't fair to Clark Luthor, you, Chris, or me to hold onto him like that. I was doing it for myself, because I didn't want to be in a world without you. And it was wrong. I thought, if they ever bring the mirror box back, and there's a chance you come back alive... I'd be so happy. It's everything I've ever wanted."

Clark sighed as he replied, "I know that Lois. We all do selfish things sometimes because we want to be happy, regardless of how wrong it seems. I know you did this all because you wanted to relive lost memories. I'm here, we can be together again... but what if I didn't come back? How would you have handled living the rest of your life without me... or would you have kept him here?" He asked with uncertainty in his voice, not knowing if he wanted to know the real answer, that maybe Lois and Clark Luthor would've stayed together.

Lois stared out at the distance for a long moment before answering, "If you didn't come back alive... I still wouldn't hesitate to send Clark Luthor back. When I found out about all of this I ended it. I ended everything with him and I took our son back to Smallville, away from him because this was never supposed to happen. I was never supposed to share my life with him... I never really wanted him that way. I wanted you." She breathed out, "I finally accepted that before you even came back. I didn't even know what Chloe was planning with that Crystal and even then I chose to stop what was going on between me and Luthor. So the answer to your question... is yes. If you didn't come back with the mirror box alive I still would've let Luthor go back... and I would've been okay with that. I already accepted that fact, I told him already that we couldn't be together because... he and I aren't meant to be, and we were turning to each other to fill some sort of empty void in our lives... but it would never be something real, because I didn't love him the way I love you. Even though I can't imagine it, I would've eventually moved on I guess... with someone else, and raised our son together... tell him stories about you, and us..." The tears formed in her eyes when she turned to face him, "I never would've forgotten you... I would've never stopped loving you. My heart always belonged to you Clark... no one else." He noticed a tear escape the corner of her eye as he took a step closer towards her, "I'm really glad I got you back... and even if you didn't come back I would've been glad to have sent Luthor back to Earth-2... cause even if I never got to be with you again... he still has his Lois. They'd get to create a new life together, and they have a long way to go. I took that away from her when I brought him here, and it was wrong... he never belonged to me, he's all hers. I never truly wanted it though. I took it for myself because I was scared... I didn't want to face the reality that I might never see you again." Her voice cracked as she choked back a sob, "These two years were so hard, and I was being weak... I wasn't thinking. These past couple of months he really helped put me back together, and I am forever grateful for him. Now that he's gone..." She shook her head to herself, "I won't miss him the way you think I will, I just hope he'll get his happiness eventually... like I have with you." She said with a weak smile.

Clark felt his heart sink, hearing his wife created a deep, unexplainable emotion, and all he wanted was to hold her in his arms, and so he did. Moving in towards her, he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her tightly, resting his chin on her head in silence as she buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his waist as they simply embraced on the roof.

"I'm sure they'll get their happiness Lois... we're destined to be together no matter what universe we're in. I understand now... It just breaks my heart that you had to go through all this pain. You've been through so much" He said softly.

Lois pulled away abruptly, looking up at him, "Don't you dare do this. Don't you dare blame yourself and feel ANY sort of guilt for what's happened. My actions are MY responsibilities. What happened to you wasn't your fault... it never was. One thing I definitely don't regret is turning that mirror box, because I think being in Earth-1 changed Luthor into a better man for his Lois... and it brought you back to me. By whatever supernatural act of the universe... that mirror box enabled Jor-El to bring you back... alive. And that's something I wouldn't take back for the world."

He didn't say anything else as he pulled her back into his arms.

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><p><em>Smallville<em>

They had returned back to Smallville and spent some time with Martha and Chris. As they went about their day, the lack of sleep didn't affect Lois as she remained wide awake to be with her husband, son, and mother in law, watching Clark as he insisted on spending some quality time with Chris after being apart from him for so long. She watched as they played together, and Clark spoke to Chris about all his adventures as a kid while Chris stared at him with his bright blue eyes, bringing his toys to his mouth as his attention drifted elsewhere. Clark brought his son to the barn as they rode his horse together along the ranch as Lois and Martha watched with inner joy at everything that has been restored in their lives.

Lois had a distant gaze as Martha placed a hand on her shoulder, when Lois turned to face her, and smiled warm heartedly, at each other, both sensing what the other was feeling at this moment.

After a couple days, Martha reluctantly had to leave, "The State won't be able to fend for itself if I stay away much longer." She admitted sadly.

Clark smiled as he brought her suitcase to the car, "I'll come visit whenever I can. Thank you mom... for everything. You sure you don't want me to take you back to Washington myself? You'll save time on the trip" He said.

Martha grinned up at him, looking back at the house, "I'll be okay sweetie you should take advantage of finally being alone with your family." She brought her hand up to cup his face, "I take it you'll head back to Metropolis soon. You have quite the story to prepare before you come out of the shadows."

He sighed, "I know... we have to think up of something. I mean I need to come back as Clark Kent for a while before I dawn my cape again."

Martha's brows drew together, "Cape... are you sure you're okay to do that again?" She asked with her voice full of concern, "I don't think you should rush into things before you're ready."

Clark chuckled, "I'll be fine mom."

With a nod, she relaxed, "I just want my boy to be in perfect health before he goes off into danger again... be careful out there honey." She swallowed back her anxiety. She didn't want to lose him again, but she couldn't stop him from doing what he was always meant to do.

He nodded, "I promise." With that, he hugged his mother tightly, "Have a safe trip mom."

"I love you sweetie. I'm so happy you're home..." She replied into his chest.

"I love you too mom" He said with a smile.

They pulled away when they heard Chris squeal, "Gam gam!"

Martha chuckled as the little boy ran towards her with his tiny legs with Lois right behind them, "There's my handsome grandson!" They all said their goodbyes before Martha headed back to Washington, and Lois and Clark waved at the retreating chauffer car.

Clark took a deep breath and grabbed Chris in his arms, "Come here you" He kissed his cheek while Chris giggled and squirmed in his arms, wanting to go off and play. Clark and Lois chuckled as he put Chris down once they got inside the house, and right when his feet touched the ground, he was off.

He turned to Lois as she grinned up at him, she brought her hand to cup his face, and stood on her tip toes to kiss him, as he wrapped his arms around her waist, "I guess it's time we leave here too..."

Clark smiled back at her, "I guess you're right... what are we gonna tell everyone?"

Taking a deep breath, Lois began, "I have a little confession to make" Clark remained silent as he listened, "I never told anyone you died. You were just presumed dead, Superman was who was declared dead, but Clark Kent went missing during the Doomsday battle." Her voice cracked at the last part to which Clark took notice of.

Pursing his lips, he tightened his arm around her waist, "We could say I was badly injured, maybe in a coma, and recovering in a private clinic up north. I just woke up, and came back home."

Lois stared up at him and nodded with her mouth in a firm line, "Sounds believable." He nodded back at her, knowing she wanted to say something, as she began, "But I don't want to go back to the real world yet. I want to stay here for a while. I want you all to myself right now..." She said, placing her hand on his chest.

He tilted his head at her, leaning his forehead against hers, seeing the hidden emotions in her eyes, "Alright... we'll stay here as long as you want." She let out a deep breath, closing her eyes as she wrapped her arms around him.

They spent the day together with their son, as Clark went into town with them for the first time, and the people at the Talon gasped in shock at his arrival, they all crowded around him, greeting him again, he was getting hugs and tears from everywhere, asking questions about where he was all these years, old friends wanting to catch up with him, but he told them another time, as he only came to have lunch with his wife and son. Once they had come home, Chris was fast asleep as Lois put him down for his nap and stepped out of the room, to see Clark leaning on the doorframe, boring his eyes into her. The corner of her mouth curved up as she slowly walked towards him, "He's finally asleep." She said quietly.

Clark smiled, as his gaze never left hers, "That's good... our boy's got a lot of energy in him"

Lois nodded, "Yeah he does... and now we're alone." she whispered.

She finally stopped in front of him as his gaze intensified, "Now we're alone..." He repeated. Lois opened her mouth to speak, but was confronted with Clark's mouth ravaging hers with lust in the blink of an eye, she moaned against his touch as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him, leaving no distance between them as they kissed with hunger and longing. Lois was left breathless as Clark pick her up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he continued to kiss her feverishly while walking into their bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him as he walked forward, placing her down on the bed without breaking the kiss. Two years of love and intimacy deeply missed between them. She felt the heat of his skin as she placed her hands under his shirt. Rolling them over so that she was on top, Lois kissed his jaw line, trailing down to his neck as she felt his arousal between her legs as he moaned. She sat up straddling him as she lifted her shirt over her head, discarding it on the floor as Clark's hands trailed up her sides, along her stomach, feeling her warmth as he sat up, cupping her jaw as he kissed her again, greedily leaving open mouthed kisses all over her chest and shoulder. He turned over so that she was lying under him, kissing her chest, breasts as he discarded her bra. Lois whimpered at the cold air when he sat up, and took off his shirt, throwing it aside, his mouth wandering everywhere while Lois' hands roamed over his torso. She fiddled with his belt impatiently, and finally got it undone and Clark effortlessly ripped her jeans off, crawling on top of her.

Lois ran her hands through his hair staring deeply into his eyes and whispered, "I've missed you..."

Clark breathed in her scent as he kissed her cheek, "I'm here" He whispered in her ear, kissing just below it, as Lois closed her eyes, sighing to herself as they made love. Both were left breathless, as he collapsed on top of her, making sure not to put all of his weight on her, he buried his face in her chest, as Lois stroked his dark hair, kissing the top of his head.

He rolled over to lie on his back, taking Lois with him as she laid her head on his chest, "You still got some impressive moves there Kent"

Clark chuckled under his breath as he tightly wound his arm around her, kissing her forehead, "Good to know..."

Lois grinned as she kissed his chest. They laid there in silence, and Lois couldn't sleep, as she moved to straddle him and they made love again.

Once they were done, Lois moved to put on her robe, walking around the room, she sighed, "I'm starving..." She began, and saw Clark super speed out, her eyes widened in confusion, looking around the room as she stood alone in their room for a minute and was greeted again with Clark holding a bag of Chinese food, and a rose. Her mouth opened as she broke into laughter when he leaned in to kiss her cheek while handing her the rose, "Did you just go out in your boxers?!" She exclaimed.

Clark shrugged, "I got in and out before anyone could see a thing" She raised her brow at him, when he reassured, "I left the money for them on the counter." She grinned as they sat on the bed, and dove into their food.

Lois moaned at the delicious taste, "Thank you Clark..." She said softly. Clark smiled, and wiped some sauce off the corner of her mouth. They began talking when she noticed he had a distant look on his face. She tilted her head at him, "What's wrong?"

His eyes met hers and sighed, "Someone's in trouble, I better go" She stared up at him in confusion when he super sped in front of her, and Lois' smile faded. She went pale once she saw him in the red and blue suit. With the cape draped over his back.

Her lips parted, as her jaw set, looking up at him, she spoke in a monotone voice, "Where did you get that?" She asked, acting as composed as possible.

Clark looked down at his suit and shrugged, "My mom had it with her, I guess she fixed it up a while ago... It was in the closet." He went over to her, leaning in to kiss her, as Lois remained frozen on the bed, staring up at him, her heart racing, "I'll be back soon" He turned to leave when he felt her hands grab his arm, in a tight grip. He turned to see Lois with fear in her eyes, her eyes wide and teary. He faced her with concern, "Lois?" He asked.

Lois shook her head at him, "Don't go..." He blinked in confusion, "Don't do this Clark..." She breathed out thickly.

He could see her vision clouded with her tears as he took her face in his hands, watching her on the verge of a breakdown, "Hey..." He cooed softly, "It's okay, I'm gonna be okay Lois. I promise I'll be back soon-"

"What if you won't" She managed to say, "Clark I can't do this again... I can't have this be a part of our lives again..." She choked out, looking down at the 'S' on his suit. Clark followed her gaze on his suit and stared back at her, "I can't live the rest of my life, wondering if you'll come back to me... the last time killed me."

"Lois-"

"You died Clark!" She exclaimed, "You died! Don't you understand what that meant?! Being Superman killed you! I can't go through it again, every time you go out and save someone, I'm always gonna wonder whether you'll come back, whether it's the last time I'm gonna see you!" She shook her head, "Don't do this." She could see him conflicted as she continued, "Superman has been dead for two years, and the world has done okay without him, the League is taking care of the world, we have heroes around the world protecting us you don't have to be one of them anymore. You've risked your life enough Clark, you've done enough for us it's time you live your life. You're not invincible Clark! Anything can happen to you and I don't want to risk that. I can do without Superman... I just want you... please don't go... don't leave me. Don't leave Chris..." She knew it was selfish, she knew it wasn't right, but screw it. They both had spent years being selfless, giving up their lives for the sake of the world, and destiny. Not anymore, she couldn't lose him again, and if being selfish was the price she had to pay to keep him in their lives safe and sound, she'll take it.

Clark stared back at her for a long time, and saw her desperation, her plea to keep him close with her, protecting him from facing the same fate he had the last time he walked into the world as Superman. He could never deny her anything, and if he had to give up being Superman for her, he'll do it. Taking a deep breath, he walked past her and reached for the phone, calling Kara as Lois' gaze never left his. After putting down the phone, he turned to her and grabbed the back of her head, pulling her against his chest, hugging her tightly, "Okay... I won't go... I won't ever leave you." He held her shaking body against his, making her this promise.

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><p><strong>TBC!<strong>

**Okay so after editing this chapter I realized it was SUPER long. It was actually double this length so I was like whoa too long lol I added it to the next chapter and made it all flow.**

**Next chapter will be posted up tomorrow so hang in there and please leave your reviews I appreciate it THANK YOU3!**


	53. Holding On and Letting Go

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's been a long journey so please enjoy and leave your reviews!

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><p><strong>Holding on and Letting Go- Ross Copperman<strong>

_**It's the end of the beginning. A cry. A rush. From one breath, is all we're waiting for. Sometimes the one we're taking, changes everyone before. It's everything you wanted, it's everything you don't. It's one door swinging open, and one door swinging closed. Some prayers find an answer. Some prayers never know. We're holding on, and letting go.**_

_Metropolis- Earth 1 _

_Six Months Later_

Six months had passed, and since then they had moved back to their home in Metropolis, as Clark and Lois carefully formulated their plan to bring him back to the world, getting Chloe and Oliver to create the right paperwork to make it believable in case anyone got suspicious. It was a shock to everyone when Clark Kent walked into the Daily Planet for the first time, and Perry White nearly had a heart attack when he saw the man who came back from the dead. He had his old desk back across from Lois in their old office. He dawned the familiar black framed glasses and the typical mild-mannered persona everyone was so used to. The first couple of weeks, he would get approached at least 4 times a day asking what had happened, where he went, and how it felt to wake up after two years of being in a 'coma'. Clark had explained it so many times that it became so much easier to tell the story they had made up to anyone who'd ask him without hesitation. And over time, people had accepted him back with open arms without a second thought, especially Jimmy Olsen Jr.

Lois had decided to write a piece on Clark Kent's journey back to life, to make it seem normal, to ensure the world they weren't hiding anything. They worked on numerous stories together, the feeling of being partners in crime gave Lois a sense of pride and joy at being with her husband again. They would continue their usual banter whenever she got herself into trouble chasing a lead.

Lois had once again gotten herself in a dangerous situation three months ago during one of her investigations in which Clark had to save her from. They had gotten into a fight that night over the fact that she goes in too deep to a point where she could get seriously hurt to which Clark had brought up the fact that he wouldn't know what he'd do if he lost her, which opened up Lois' eyes at the fact that she asked him to give up something for her, and so she found it fair to give up something for him as well, in order to keep one another in their lives. And so she stopped chasing dangerous leads where she knew would be a risk. She did it for her son, for her husband, as he did for them.

About a month after Clark Luthor was sent back to Earth-2, Chloe and Oliver had moved back to Star City together. Chloe is now expecting their first child, to which everyone was ecstatic about once the news spread. They hadn't heard from Bruce much as he had faked Batman's death, disappearing forever with Selina. Another hero, who calls himself the Nightcrawler, was shining a light on Gotham over the last few months. Oliver had tracked him down, and asked him to join their league to which the Nightcrawler was objective about, but he gets help now and then.

Tess and Emil were taking things slow as she continued to look over Queen-Luthor industries in Metropolis, while Oliver continued business in Star City.

Everything was going well, everyone was happy, and everyone had learned to accept the fact that Clark Kent had retired from being Superman, to which he was happy about as long as Lois was happy. He would take Chris to daycare every single day, and have some father-son time with him while Lois worked on her stories.

One night, Clark was cleaning up Chris' face in the sink when he spilt chocolate pudding all over his face, "You know we eat with spoons for a reason" Clark said with a chuckle while wiping his sons face, when his super hearing heard someone landing on his balcony. He turned around with his son in his arms, walking towards the balcony to see Diana, in her Wonder Woman costume. Clark's eyes widened when he opened the door, "Diana, what are you doing here?"

Diana smiled at him as she walked in, "I came back to Earth to seek you out. I have a proposition for you Clark." She began, "I have a mission on my hands, I've tracked down someone who calls himself Xotar, he's come back in time from the 120th century. He's tracking down the Injustice Society and is out to become invincible. Hal and I are going to find him before he wreaks havoc and bring him back to his own time and destroy the thing that brought him here in the first place. I could use some extra invincible hands... you interested?" She said in a hopeful tone.

Clark raised his brows, "Wow... uhm" He turned to look at his son in his arms, turning back to her, shaking his head, "I can't Diana"

She drew her brows together, "What do you mean you can't? Clark we need you."

"I told you I can't. I'm not Superman anymore, I'm done."

She shook her head , taken aback, "What do you mean you're done-" He had never mentioned this to her the last time she had seen him. Where did this come from?

"I mean I can't do this to Lois" Diana opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say, "I can't put her through all that worrying about me, not after what's happened."

Diana's lips parted as she shook her head, "I understood you not doing your duties because you had just come back, I understood the need to recover after our last battle. But now you're telling me you're never going to be Superman again? Is this what you want? Do you want to just live your life as a mild mannered reporter, knowing you can do so much more?" Clark sighed as he didn't answer her. Diana took a step towards him, "One day your son's going to grow up and look up to his father as this beacon of hope for people... what do you think he'll say if he finds out his father had this amazing gift, but gave it all up."

"I'm giving it up for him, I'm giving it up for my family Diana if you had one you'd understand" He bit back. Diana flinched at that, to which Clark winced, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay... really I get it. But let me ask you this... doesn't it bother you when you hear people crying for help, and not do anything?"

Clark sighed, "Of course it does, I hear everyone around the world crying for help at all hours of the day. I have to choose to ignore them though, for Lois. I love her, I'm not gonna give her this kind of life again, it almost killed her."

She scoffed in disbelief, "So you're not gonna fight for what you want? You're not gonna fight to protect these people? If you actually told her I'm sure she'd understand. I like Lois, I really do, but she has to realize she can't keep you from who you truly are."

He replied sternly, "She's not. She would never do that, she's never kept me back before, she's always told me to embrace my true destiny and be the hero the world needs me to be before anything else. She's been selfless, she's put the world before our relationship time and time again. She even refused to marry me the first time because she thought she was holding me back from saving people as much as I could. I know the kind of person she is... she's just scared now. She lost me once, and she's scared it's gonna happen again and I won't put her through that if she's not ready."

Diana's lips parted as she looked at him for a long time, "And what if she'll never be ready?"

Clark turned to look back at Chris, "They're my family Diana, I have to put them first considering what she went through when I was gone. And if she's never ready, then I'll never be Superman again, and I'm okay with that, really. Besides, you're all out there doing what I did for two years without me, you're doing a great job at it."

Diana didn't look convinced, but slumped her shoulder as she gave in, "I just want you all to be happy. I don't want you looking back in a couple of years resenting her for making you give up who you are... I just hope being Clark Kent is enough."

Clark nodded back at her, "It is..." Diana nodded back at him, wanting to fight him on this, wanting to do something to convince him to become Superman again, but thought better of it, and turned to leave, "Let me know how it goes with Xotar."

Diana smirked back at him, "Why don't you come and find out, we could beat him a lot faster."

He squinted his eyes at her, "Nice try..." With that, she left, both unaware that Lois had overheard their conversation on the other side of their door, composing herself before she walked in. Clark turned to the noise and smile at her with so much love, "Hi honey..." He approached her and kissed her softly, as Lois stared back at him, pressing her lips together, not knowing what to say.

They had dinner together, and put Chris down to sleep. Clark walked into the living room to see Lois on the couch, staring out the window. She turned to see Clark staring back at her, and she smiled up at him, "Hey you..." She spoke softly, gesturing for him to come sit down. Clark followed suite as he sat beside her, Lois placed her hand on his chest, as Clark took it in his hand and kissed it, smiling back at her. Lois' smile faltered a little before she spoke, "You know how much I love you right?" Clark didn't answer as the question confused him a little, but his gaze answered for him as Lois continued, "I know... how important Chris and I are to you. And I know how long it took to find yourself, what you're meant for, and who you were meant to be, you went through a long journey full of trial and hardships. And I know how important it was... for everyone, to accept your destiny. Clark I understand all of that." She breathed out.

Clark pursed his lips and replied cautiously, "Okay..."

She swallowed hard as she gripped his hand, "That's why I understand how hard it was to give that part of yourself up... for me. I know it was... selfish, and unfair of me to ask you to give up being Superman."

Clark shook his head at her, "Lois you didn't ask me to give it up. I won't look back full of regrets if that's what you're worried about. I was Superman for a long time... I know when enough is enough."

"Is it enough Clark?" She asked, "Be honest with me, please. Is being Clark Kent enough for you... am I enough?"

He raised his brows at her, "Are you really asking me whether you're enough or not?" She looked unsure of herself as she looked away, running her hand through her hair while he spoke, "Lois... you are everything. More than enough. I'm happy, I promise you I'm happy... This was my decision you didn't force me"

Lois scoffed, "That's the thing... I did force you didn't I?" She shook her head to herself in disappointment.

"No... Lois look at me" She turned to him, "You did NOT force me. I don't know how else to tell you that."

Lois sighed at him, deep in thought, taking his hand in hers and he looked down as she placed a newspaper clipping in his hand, "I want you to read this... it was J'onn's eulogy at the memorial we had for you."

He sighed as he held up the paper, reading it out loud, "Though we gather here today, bowing together in sorrow and loss, we share a precious gift. We are all of us privileged to live a life that has been touched by Superman. The Man of Steel possessed many extraordinary gifts and he shared them with us freely. None of these gifts were more remarkable, than his ability to discern what needed to be done, and his unveiling courage in doing it, whatever the personal cost." He looked up at Lois, speechless as she encouraged him to continue reading, "Let us all strive to accept his gift and pass it along as an ongoing tribute to Kal-El of Krypton, the immigrant from the stars, who taught us all how to be heroes." He took a deep breaths as he let those words sink in.

Lois wrapped her arms around herself, as she had a distant look, "There are times when I want to be selfish and tell you that I don't... I don't have the courage to share you with the world anymore... Then I reminded myself that the world doesn't know Superman as a husband or a son or a reporter. They know Superman as a saviour, as a symbol of hope. You were a gift to them Clark." She said, knowing this was going to be hard to say, "I remember because I truly believed in that, I invoked that to the public whenever I wrote about you. I can't take that away from them, because if I do... I'm not just taking their hope away, I'm also killing a part of you... and I can't do that... I can't stop you from being who you are." Clark watched as she stood up, and left the room, only to come back with a large box in her hands, placing it on his lap. He looked back at her confused when she encouraged him to open it, and so he did. He stared back at the red 'S' symbol on his Superman suit.

Looking up at her, he shook his head, "You don't have to do this Lois..." He said softly.

Lois cleared her throat, nodding her head, "I know... but I want to. These past six months have been great, and you've been amazing. I just... I know you had to make this choice, and you had to give something up for me and I never want you to have to give up ANYTHING. I didn't just marry Clark Kent, I married Superman as well. I love you Clark, and I really do believe in your true calling, which has always been this. And as hard as it is for me, I believe you'll come back to me. I want you to be happy, after working so hard to find yourself, I won't hold you back baby. I was scared before... but I'm not scared anymore." She shrugged, "Consider this my big romantic gesture for everything you've done for me..." Taking a deep breath, she cupped his face, "You were born to be a hero, so go be a hero... I'll always wait for you. Just be safe. That's all I need from you."

He hesitated before speaking, "I'm not doing this unless I know you're gonna be okay..."

Lois shook her head at him, "I WANT this Clark. I want you to be Superman again, that's who you are... so go save the world."

Clark didn't know what to say, as he grabbed her and kissed her hard, without letting her go, he deepened the kiss, when Lois had to breathe, his lips lingered along her skin, "I love you..." She noticed him tilting his head as he heard someone needing him more than her right now. He looked back at her, needing the reassurance, as she rested her hand on his cheek gently, with a nod. He smiled back at her, standing up as he super sped into his costume, Lois let out a deep breath as she looked up at him in his suit, he extended his hand to her as she took it and led her to their balcony, gripping her shoulders, he kissed her forehead, "I'll come back to you, I promise."

Lois smiled back at him and nodded, "I believe you" She replied in a soft whisper, she closed her eyes, feeling a breeze sweep across her face, as she opened them, she was standing alone. Taking a deep breath, she looked out into the city as she witnessed the familiar red blur cross the sky.

* * *

><p><em>Earth-2: Daily Planet<em>

_Eight Years Later_

Lois paced around her office as she spoke on the phone, "Well you can go ahead and tell the Senator that this is a newspaper, this isn't some tabloid magazine out to find any scandal, we found one that was actually true... I'm not printing a retraction for the truth he's the one who got caught red handed, and I'm sorry but he's got what's coming to him for what he's done." She listened in on her call as she rolled her eyes, letting out a deep sigh as she kept listening, unaware of another presence at her door, "Listen if you don't like what my paper publishes then you can move out of Metropolis, it's not my fault you're job is on the line, that award goes to the Senator, the guy you're actually working for!" Without another word, she slammed the phone on the dialer, letting out a frustrated groan.

She heard someone clearing their throat, as she spun around to see Clark Luthor leaning against the doorframe, as her gaze hardened on him, crossing her arms as he had an amused smile on his face, "Trouble in Paradise?" He asked.

Lois narrowed her eyes at him as she huffed, shaking her head, "Nothing I can't handle." She mumbled, trying to look busy.

Clark pursed his lips and nodded, "Good. I knew I promoted the right person for the job."

She stopped what she was doing to glare back at him as she held her head up defiantly, "Apparently not good enough." She spat out, he furrowed his brows at her in confusion, implying for her to explain, "I just got back from Gotham... after being invited to accompany Bruce at the Gala, I got a suspicious email indicating a hot lead about my findings on the Egyptian tomb they shipped over here... only to find out there were no leads and that source who emailed me never showed up to our meeting" She shrugged, "Hell I don't even know if there even was a source for that matter. I basically missed the Gala and flew back to Metropolis for nothing." She narrowed her eyes at him, gritting her teeth, "A little suspicious don't you think?"

Clark took a deep breath, stepping into her office, "Lois-"

"Don't 'Lois' me I know it was you Clark!" She let out an exasperated sigh, "What the hell was that about?! You send me on a wild goose chase cause you can't stand any time I spend with Bruce Wayne?!"

He scoffed at her, "You know I don't like the guy. I see the way he looks at you..." He continued as she scowled at him, "I don't want you around him, especially alone at a party given your history with him." He warned in a low tone.

Lois huffed in rage, "You don't tell me what to do. I can do whatever the hell I want, and Bruce is a FRIEND!" She threw her hands in the air, "God that was seven years ago and we've all changed, you need to get over yourself, no matter how many times I've told you you never listen!"

"That's cause I know better!" He exclaimed, "And that message about Egypt wasn't a lie" Lois looked up in confusion and curiosity as she tilted her head at him, "They found a chamber buried under the tomb they brought here at the last place you visited, there were carvings on the walls. It's not any language from Earth"

Lois raised her brow at him when he handed her a folder with pictures, she furrowed her brows at him, "This doesn't even look Kryptonian" She looked back up at him as he nodded in agreement.

Clark Luthor nodded, "It's something else" She stared back at him and he could see her eyes light up and smiled inwardly, "I thought you could go to Egypt and check it out... just cause you're editor-in-chief doesn't mean you need to just attend parties and stay in this office."

She stood agape as she couldn't help the amusement on her face, "Well, you really out did yourself Mr. Luthor... this still doesn't excuse what you did. I was supposed to be at the Gala, and meet some pretty important people."

"You could do that without being Wayne's date for the evening." He said with irritation, rolling his eyes at her.

She pursed her lips as she put the folder on her desk behind her, leaning back she stared up at him, "What... after all these years you don't trust me?" She raised her brow at him.

Clark smirked as he walked towards her, "Of course I do... it's him I don't trust..."

She squinted her eyes at him, "We've all moved on Clark. Bruce doesn't have feelings for me anymore."

He shook his head with a scoff, "Yeah, that's why he wanted to bring YOU as his date. What, he couldn't think of anyone else to be his arm candy for the night?"He said as Lois detected a hint of spite and jealousy in his voice.

Pulling at the corner of her mouth, she gazed up his form, meeting his eyes, "And who should I have brought as my date? You?"

He bore his eyes into hers as he leaned in, "It'd make more sense. I don't want people thinking you're off the market... ever." He spoke in a low tone.

She squinted her eyes at him, "You don't own me Luthor..." She said in a seductive tone.

He smirked back at her, "Hmm, I can think of ways to change that... Mrs. Luthor." She chuckled softly as he tilted his head and took her lips in his, as they kissed deeply.

Lois pulled back breathlessly, holding onto his shoulders as he had her caged against her desk, "I'm still pissed you know. That Gala was important to me" She said.

Clark Luthor smiled back at her, grabbing her waist, "I'll hold a charity Gala and invite whoever you want. I just expect one thing in return, you won't be anyone's arm candy, but mine..." He leaned in to kiss her again when she covered her mouth with her hand.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Get off your high horse Clark just cause you think you can hold a better Gala doesn't make this issue go away. You need to learn to trust people, there'll be other events like Bruce's, you can't just pull me out of these things whenever you want just cause you're having testosterone insecurities." He narrowed his eyes at her as she chuckled, cupping his face, "There's only one man I'm always gonna come home to, no one else. And I make sure everyone knows that." He looked back at her deep in thought, before he finally sighed and nodded at her.

Grinning back at him, she leaned in and pressed her lips against his, as he cupped the back of her neck, deepening the kiss, leaning forwards, as Lois felt herself leaning back towards the table. Grabbing his shoulders, she began pushing, as Clark pulled away in confusion.

"We can't do this right now... Lucy called me earlier, Ella got sent home from school"

Clark looked alarmed, "What happened?"

He pulled away while Lois straightened herself out, "Apparently our four year old daughter thought it was funny to pour paint in another girl's school bag, and then ruin her drawing"

Clark raised his brow at that, "Paint? What did the kid do to her?"

Lois scoffed, "It doesn't matter what she did, she can't stoop low and do that to someone. We have to teach her to take the high road"

Clark rolled his eyes, "And what, kill them with kindness?" Lois glared back at him in disbelief while Clark sighed, "Alright, we'll talk to her."

Lois raised her brows and let out a laugh, "Oh no WE won't do anything. I'm sick of playing bad cop ALL the time, you're going to sit her down, since she's daddy's little girl the little devil will probably listen if you actually take these things seriously."

She was about to walk away when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back against his chest, leaving kisses along her neck, feeling her relax under his touch, "I can't fight against those puppy dog eyes she gives me." He spoke against her skin.

Rolling her eyes, Lois replied, "Yeah I wonder where she gets that from..."

Clark chuckled into her ear, "Hey that's how I got you remember?"

"Yeah yeah keep telling yourself that Supes" She laughed as he began tickling her, when he finally stopped and turned her around to face him, Lois' smile faded when she saw him staring intently at her, "What?"

He sighed, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, "I just... I'm so lucky to have you." She looked confused at that, "I've never been so happy in my life, there was a point where I thought I lost everything, I almost lost you forever because of my past mistakes and I thought I'd never get what I really wanted, but I did. I got it all... and that's all because of you... thank you for taking a chance on me. You changed my life."

She grinned at him, leaning up to kiss him, "Thank you for giving me a reason to... I love you." His heart soared as he heard her say that. He's heard those words escape her lips many times, but every time she said them, it still gave him the same feeling it did when she said it the first time, "Now remember the game plan, you take care of Ella, and I'll take care of Lara" She pointed her thumb to herself.

He furrowed his brows at her in concern, "Something happened to Lara too?" He chuckled, "Who knew our two year old would be getting into trouble already." Lois shook her head at him.

"She has the flu, poor baby's puking everywhere." Clark looked disgusted at that, while Lois joked, "Tell me again why you're their dad? You only take on the easy, fun roles while I do all the hard stuff..." He raised an eyebrow at her, crossing his arms when Lois gave in, "Alright, except for the cooking, I'll give you that."

He kinked his eyebrow at her, "But I reward you with the full benefits in the bedroom when they're asleep." Lois gasped softly when he grabbed her bottom, as she pulled away from him laughing.

"Alright let's get out of here..." She said while tugging his hand out of her office.

"Aye Aye Chief." He said while Lois scolded him for calling her chief the rest of the way home, and demanding he bury the hatchet with Bruce when he comes to Metropolis next week. He continued to bicker with his wife, feeling nothing but love, joy, and warmth inside from being around her and their two girls.

It took him a long time to figure out she was the one he wanted, a long time to realize she was his soul mate, she was the one his heart belonged to, she was the one he wanted to live his life with. And even then it took him a long time to be with her, a long time to convince her to open up her heart, to break down her walls she built against him and take a chance on him, twice. To love him, to marry him, to be his wife, and to be the mother of his children. It's been a long journey. And now finally... happy... he felt happy.

**THE END**

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><p><strong>After 53 Chapters, 16 Months, around 200 000 words, and over 400 reviews, I can finally say: THE END!<strong>

**I want to thank ALL of my wonderful readers, the ones who've left reviews and even the ones who haven't and still stuck to this story from the beginning, being super patient with my updates and giving your inputs and opinions on every aspect of this storyline. You guys were my encouragement to finish this story. I can finally breathe with relief after stressing chapter by chapter. **

**Thank you all so much I'm gonna miss anticipating your reactions after posting up each chapter, but I'm so happy I'm finally done. This is the longest story I've ever written and I hope you all enjoyed reading.**

**Thank you once again (Takes a bow, wipes tears with a smile!)**

**P.S. I do have an idea of a spin off sequel of Earth-2 after Clark Luthor comes back and his story with his Lois and how they actually ended up together before the whole marriage/kids bliss. So stay tuned for that;)**

**Thank you once again. Cheers!**


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